


i know your heart (and you, mine)

by rrui



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Flirting, Classical Music, Fluff, Getting Together, Long-Distance Relationship, Love Confessions, M/M, Pining, in which i project music nerdiness onto naruto, no beta we die like beethoven, the uchihas own a business
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:46:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25434859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rrui/pseuds/rrui
Summary: Something about Naruto—perhaps the way his eyes sparkled, fingers danced, body swayed—made it impossible for Sasuke to look away.Or, Sasuke falls first.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 56
Kudos: 73





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> hi there! welcome to my first ao3 post!
> 
> this story won't be too serious and while i am a BIG fan of slow burn, the flames of love will be Burning the fuck up here
> 
> many thanks to my supportive friends, for figuratively kicking my ass to post this
> 
> hope y'all like it <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's sasuke's bday in japan !!!!!
> 
> playlist for this chapter:
> 
> ["devil's trill"](https://open.spotify.com/track/6b6EmPElw09fWyaY7yzo5N?si=fy_CHYkBTSqoZ1LMlj_3zw) \- giuseppe tartini  
> [kimi ga inai mirai](https://open.spotify.com/track/5CYoCgM0Ixn3Z6tp8XGu68?si=hrzNAHC9RR--OuVjnBVn2A) \- do as infinity

Sasuke was seriously beginning to question his choice of career—no, he _definitely_ was not where he wanted to be in life.

He should have chosen that computer science job, tediously looking for bugs in code he would spend three aggravating months writing. At least he wouldn’t be bothered with mindless social interactions at a million networking events.

But alas.

His old man keeled over from overworking and needed his sons to take over. Thank god Sasuke also had an MBA, right? So, while Fugaku was sitting at home recuperating on an Italian leather couch—sneakily (and ill-advisedly) drinking ice wine on Mikoto’s night out with friends—Sasuke was stuck here listening to the guy next to him rant about new government policies and the woes of doing business with Americans.

He sighed, aiming a narrow-eyed look at his brother. Satan Incarnate.

The asshole could have represented their company alone—but Itachi, as someone who greatly enjoyed seeing Sasuke suffer, had essentially blackmailed him into coming with.

Figures, that at the first chance Sasuke allowed himself to “let loose” and get piss drunk—following months of grueling, meticulous business meetings—his devil brother would obtain proof of the whole ordeal.

It wasn’t the first time Itachi gained ammunition on him like this; _this_ was a game Sasuke had been an unwilling participant to his whole life. The latest threat involved posting a minute-long video of him draped over a bar table, giggling hysterically while rambling about his cat. Onto their family Line chat.

Where at least thirty-two relatives—including their grandmother Chiyo and great uncle Madara—could see.

Sasuke knew from past experience that any sign of him partying was an excuse for Chiyo and Madara to set him up with one of their friends’ granddaughters and tell him to start looking at “settling down”.

Not… a risk he’d like to take, thank you very much.

Sensing the hostile gaze, Itachi glanced over at Sasuke and smiled innocently. Sasuke glared in response.

As much as he hated going to networking events, it was an important aspect to his role in the family business. He understood the value of maintaining connections and scoping the market—and where better to do so than at a gathering of some of the richest and most influential people in the city?

Sasuke was young, but not a newcomer to this particular social setting.

Working for the family business had always been a looming possibility in his future, and despite majoring in and wishing for a career in something entirely different, circumstances had thrust him into this lifestyle once again with the expectation that he alleviate the burden from his father’s shoulders.

And as much as he’d complain, Sasuke would take it on—for his family.

If all went according to his father’s plans, Sasuke would eventually hold the CFO position, while Itachi, the current VP Finance and interim CEO, would fully take over duties as the President of Uchiha Hotels & Resorts.

If it were up to Sasuke, however, he would shove the family business onto Itachi’s very capable shoulders, find himself a suitable replacement, and then transfer somewhere he felt satisfied with at the end of the day. But before all that could happen, his participation was necessary in an unfortunate extension of his current role as Director of Business Development: _networking events_.

Dreadful, dreadful networking events.

The night was bound to pass like any other fundraiser they were invited to, with keynote speakers, live background music, chilled wine, and multiple courses of bite-sized food. They were only halfway through the evening and Sasuke could not describe _how much_ he wanted to leave. To go back to his apartment and curl up on the couch alone (much to his dismay, Aoi was staying with his parents for the time being). Maybe he could watch a shitty film, or something. Anything other than this, really.

Perhaps time would pass by more quickly if he had a few more drinks.

Noticing a waiter circling the room with champagne, Sasuke motioned him over to grab a glass. Hearing the sounds in the room quiet down, he took a sip from his drink and looked towards the stage, seeing the MC—a pink-haired girl in a long, burgundy dress—walk up to the podium on the side of the stage.

“Good evening, everybody. I hope everyone is enjoying their night!”

 _I certainly am not_ , he mentally scoffed _._

“Once again, we want to thank all of you for coming to our event tonight and supporting our cause. As we head into the second half of the evening, it is with great pleasure that I introduce our next performer!

“Born and raised in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Uzumaki Naruto made his orchestral debut performing as a solo violinist for the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra at the young age of 12. At age 18, he performed at Carnegie Hall with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Throughout his time on the international circuit, he has won first place in the Sendai International Music Competition, second in the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, and fourth in the International Fritz Kreisler Competition! After four years studying Violin Performance and Composition at the Juilliard School in New York City, Uzumaki-san has returned to Japan as a soloist for the NHK Symphony Orchestra.

“Tonight, he will be performing a virtuosic piece written by Giuseppe Tartini named the Violin Sonata in G Minor, otherwise known as the 'Devil’s Trill’. Accompanying him on the piano will be Hyūga Hinata. Without further ado—please welcome, Uzumaki Naruto!”

As the audience clapped, a tall blond boy with tanned skin, cerulean blue eyes, and a wide smile entered the stage and bowed. Behind him a pale girl walked gracefully to the piano and sat down on the bench. Sasuke let his gaze roam over the boy’s unkempt appearance, with his wild blond locks and haphazardly rolled-up shirt sleeves. Honestly, he had expected a Classical musician to be more… stiff-looking.

The violinist—Naruto—tuned his instrument, then signalled the girl with a nod. He stood confidently at the centre of the stage and slowly brought his bow to the strings, motionless as his presence commanded the room to complete silence.

With the spotlights casting shadows over his bright blue eyes, a solemn expression dawned on his features; all eyes turned towards him. It was hard to look away, and even Sasuke couldn’t help but stare at the boy’s poised bow, breath held in anticipation of the first note.

With a slow breath in, Naruto began his performance.

The boy swayed with the meter, fingers elegant as they danced through vibrato and trills. Immersed in the music, Naruto’s expression turned solemn, hopeful, then forlorn; Sasuke was transfixed.

Music flowed freely from his violin and conversed with the piano. Somber strains turned playful—devilish. He danced with the melody and each slight upturn of his head caught the light at a different angle, making his golden hair glimmer and eyes twinkle with mischief.

Sasuke watched, unable to tear his gaze away, as Naruto’s deft fingers flickered and flashed across the strings and his bow moved with measured intensity. The song raced towards its end, and the melody soared towards a beautiful, wistful finale. The last note pierced through the air, concluding with a flair of Naruto’s bow.

For several moments, everyone held their breaths in silence. Eyes were fixated on the boy who stood unmoving on the stage, his presence captivating the audience until the very end.

Then, applause erupted.

Sasuke sat frozen in his seat, clapping along while his heart raced. Like a moth to a flame, he found his gaze drawn to Naruto's crinkled eyes and toothy grin; his own lips tugged into a rare, genuine smile.

-x-

_[Two days earlier]_

_“Hey Sakura-chan! What’s up!” He sandwiched his phone between cheek and shoulder, hands preoccupied trying to fit his music sheets nicely into a bulging folder. After several unsuccessful attempts, he gave an impatient huff and shoved the papers messily into his messenger bag._

_“Um…” A pause. That’s not good._

_“Sakura-chan…”_

_“I’m sorry! I know you’re super busy and stressed with the recital and stuff, but could you please come and perform at the event on Friday? Think of it as practice! I’ll owe you big-time!” She said in a hurry._

Sakura probably didn’t have many other options, this close to the event. I mean, who the hell cancelled two days before a show??

_Naruto contemplated his friend's request._

_He felt a bit overwhelmed practicing for the concert coming up in a month or so, but Sakura was right that he and Hinata could treat the fundraiser event as a dress rehearsal. This was the first time they were going to perform together, despite having known each other since grade school. Practices went well so far—now what about actual performances?_

_Remembering the stack of half-scribbled papers crumpled in his bag, he reminded himself that dwelling on his lack of song-writing inspiration wouldn’t get him anywhere either._

_The biggest benefit though, was that he could guilt Sakura into treating him to ramen. A mischievous grin spread across his face._

_“I don’t know, Sakura-chan… I’m so busy and tired from practice and work I haven’t gone to Ichiraku’s in several days…”_

_Sakura paused, knowing exactly what he was insinuating. She sighed in resignation. “Fine… I’ll treat you to ramen.”_

_“Really? You would do that for me?!” Naruto asked, faking innocence._

_“Yes… I’ll bring some over to your rehearsal the next few days.”_

_“YAY! I love you, Sakura-chan, you’re the best!” he exclaimed. Hearing shushes from other people in the library, he quickly ducked his head and mouthed an apology._

_“Yeah, yeah. Anyways, thanks for saving my ass, Naruto. Hope rehearsals go well tonight! I’ll see you in a few hours with your dinner.”_

_“Thanks! I’ll look forward to it,” he said, walking quickly out of the building and towards the parking lot._

He cursed himself for his weakness, remembering just how easily he got pulled into this little gig. He took a few deep breaths to calm his fidgeting hands, looking into the mirror set up backstage. Touching his hair to make the blond spikes behave a little—to no effect—he waited for Sakura to finish the introduction speech.

“Naruto-kun.”

Snapping out of his thoughts at the sound of a familiar voice, Naruto looked towards its owner. His friend, looking radiant in an elegant lavender dress that complemented her grey eyes, nodded gently towards the stage.

“Don’t worry, we practiced this one a lot,” Hinata whispered with a shy smile.

Naruto grinned in thanks, feeling some of the tension leave his shoulders.

When he finally heard his cue, Naruto stood up, shook out the tingling in his arms, and grabbed ahold of his violin and bow. He walked out from behind the curtains towards the centre of the stage where the spotlight shone, Hinata following closely behind. Together, they bowed towards the clapping audience and Naruto tuned his violin, familiar excitement stirring in his blood and coursing through his veins.

It never gets old, this feeling.

Despite having played in front of large audiences since he was a kid, he still felt giddy before each performance.

He moved with the meandering and racing melody; brows furrowed in concentration at the more technical passages while his bow danced across the strings. Each phrase was full of elaborate thought and emotional expression—and after all the practice, it flowed instinctively from his fingers. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow as he opened his eyes and registered the clapping audience. Before he knew it, the piece had come to its conclusion. Grinning widely at the faces in the crowd, he gestured towards Hinata in acknowledgement and bowed.

His eyes swept over the audience one last time. That’s when he caught the gaze of a boy near the front of the room.

And not to be dramatic, but Naruto thought he felt the world around him slip away.

That midnight-coloured gaze pierced right through him, utterly captivating—dark and intense, yet at the same time, calm and soothing. Gently crinkled in a smile… directed at _him_! Naruto felt his heart pound, and not just because this very attractive stranger was staring at him; as if a dam had broken, melodies rushed into his head and lyrics flooded his mind.

 _Oh my god_ , he thought with widened eyes.

After nearly a year of no creative ideas whatsoever, Naruto found inspiration in something—in some _one_.

Breaking his gaze away from the other boy, he turned and walked briskly backstage. As soon as he disappeared behind the curtains, Naruto began searching frantically around the green room for his phone to sort out the jumble of thoughts swirling in his head. He couldn’t afford to forget this shit! Once he found what he was looking for, he recorded the stream of melodies, words, and emotions that—for some reason—flowed through his mind upon looking into the boy’s eyes.

Yeah, he needed to get home now, he needed to write everything down!

Quickly packing his things and calling out his departure to a confused Hinata, Naruto ran out the door and headed for his apartment.

-x-

Still fixated on the spot Naruto stood moments ago, Sasuke blinked a few times to gather his thoughts.

Sasuke had never been interested in Classical music; he found it incredibly boring. And while he’d been trained in Classical piano and violin for several years as a child, he quit immediately once he had the chance. Even more futile were the attempts to bring him along as a teenager to the recitals his parents frequently attended.

But things were different tonight.

Naruto was an amazing musician, that was a given. But he also seemed to have a way of grasping his attention that Sasuke had never experienced before. Something about him—perhaps the way his eyes sparkled, fingers danced, body swayed—made it impossible for Sasuke to look away.

He remembered the way their gazes met.

The sudden reminder that he’d stared at the guy for what was likely an uncomfortable length of time made him finally avert his eyes from the stage, embarrassment staining his cheeks a soft pink.

A hand on his arm jolted him out of his reverie, and his eyes flicked up to see his brother glancing at him curiously.

“What’s wrong?” Itachi asked.

“Nothing,” he replied curtly. Leaning back in his chair, he picked up his glass of champagne and sipped the liquid with feigned nonchalance. It bubbled down his throat. Itachi raised an eyebrow, clearly doubtful of his answer—"Just tired," he added.

Itachi stared at him for another moment, but Sasuke hadn't spent the better part of 24 years schooling his expressions for nothing. _Like hell I’d tell you anything._

(Unfortunately, Itachi had also spent 24 years reading him like a book.)

“Alright,” Itachi chuckled softly, a sound so chilling it made the woman sitting to his left freeze with a sense of foreboding.

Sasuke resisted the urge to do the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... thoughts?? next chapter will be up tmrw ;)
> 
> comments and kudos are appreciated <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy birthday to sasuke (again)! as a gift to the legend himself, chapter 2 is here! i know the first one was more like a prologue, so thank you for waiting
> 
> playlist for this chapter:
> 
> [zigeunerweisen, op. 20](https://open.spotify.com/track/7BgGg6HDw1BIgmYZ2OQpWe?si=_3b2AEjmS96Bz3zxO0Vmkg) \- pablo de sarasate

Upon entering his 12th floor apartment on the warm Friday night, Sasuke shed his black leather shoes at the doorway and strode purposefully through the living room and kitchen, into his bedroom.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, down to the furrowed brows belying feelings of restlessness.

Quickly, he hung up his suit jacket and stripped off his tie, white shirt, and black slacks. Then, he padded towards the shower to scrub away the sweat and grime that had settled on his skin after a day in the suffocating summer heat. Adjusting the water to a cooler temperature, he lathered his hair in shampoo and skin with body wash; the steady stream of water beat away the exhaustion from his muscles, and the soothing scent of green tea surrounded his senses.

He dried off with a soft blue towel and put on a clean pair of pajama pants, heading back to his bedroom. Sasuke then grabbed his laptop from the cherrywood desk and settled into comfortable, satin sheets.

Thoroughly energized, he began to do some research.

Sasuke had hoped Naruto would join the event after the performance. To mingle with the crowd, or something.

He was intrigued to find out more about the other boy; wanted to get to know him better. Usually, he wasn’t at all interested in the people at events like these but tonight, he found himself searching the crowd for unruly blond hair and glittering blue eyes.

He sighed internally. A momentary fascination, merely an interest in a talented musician—whatever this was, he’d get over it eventually.

For now, Sasuke’s gaze refocused on his laptop screen and he clicked open his internet browser.

In the search bar, he typed in ‘Naruto Uzumaki violin’.

Sasuke was relieved to find several social media accounts and a YouTube channel under the musician’s name. Looking through the results, he opened the links in separate tabs and clicked on Instagram first.

He scrolled down the profile and found his nose scrunching at the sheer amount of colour on the page. _Who the hell wears this much orange… and eats this much ramen?_ Sasuke questioned as he clicked open yet another picture of the blond wearing a highlighter orange hoodie and posing next to three stacked bowls of finished ramen.

A questionable taste in fashion and an unhealthy obsession with greasy noodles. Amazing.

Several pictures featured the blond making weird poses or grinning so wide his eyes closed.

He had expected a Classical violinist to be more serious but evidently, Naruto was not. It was obvious now, looking back at the devilish gleam in his eyes and the haphazard appearance (now discovered to be a regular occurrence). The guy seemed a little clumsy and excitable, and seeing from all the teasing comments and indignant replies under his photos, maybe a little easy to rile up as well. Unbidden, Sasuke found his own lips curling up in amusement.

He switched over to the musician’s Twitter account, which contained a surprising amount of English. The MC _did_ say Naruto studied in the States for his undergrad. Sasuke read the bio:

> he/him, 23; fuel my ramen addiction at naruzumaki@gmail.com (and/or inquire about my actual violin career lol)

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

After scrolling through a couple posts, he navigated to the YouTube channel, where Sasuke found covers of popular songs and anime soundtracks, as well as concert recordings. Locating a playlist of videos that ranged from early home recordings to studio quality arrangements, he watched several skillful renditions, which sometimes featured other artists as well. Sasuke was honestly surprised—the covers seamlessly incorporated Classical elements into contemporary works.

Not that it should be news after hearing all of his musical achievements, but Naruto really was a genius.

Locating another playlist, Sasuke moved onto his concert performances.

After watching countless recordings, he glanced at the time—shocked to find that it was already 1 in the morning. He just spent two hours stalking his YouTube channel.

Feeling slightly flustered, he slammed his laptop shut with a glare at the (innocent) device and placed it on his nightstand.

 _Humiliating._ He was a grown ass man.

Sasuke threw himself under his bed covers, hoping to drift off in a dreamless sleep.

-x-

Jolting out of sleep from a shrill ringing sound, a tan hand shot out from under the covers, long fingers fumbling for the alarm clock.

It took a few tries, but the hellish noise finally stopped, and a blond tuft of hair peeked out from under the covers. Naruto opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. The sunlight flooding into his room from the open window momentarily blinded him, and he groggily tried to blink away the white spots in his vision.

Cursing himself for forgetting to close the blinds, Naruto let his eyes slowly adjust to the light this time. He turned towards the alarm clock, noted the time, and groaned. _Why the_ fuck _did I sign up for an 9 am shift on a Saturday,_ he grumbled irritably.

After rolling around in his fluffy orange sheets for a couple more minutes, Naruto finally mustered the resolve to flip the covers and swing his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and stood. Taking a step forward, he yelped as his feet slid on papers covering the ground, nearly slipping and falling on his ass.

He looked down at the ground accusingly, only to find his own chicken scrawl and hastily filled music sheets staring up at him. The results of an inspirational frenzy; littered around the sheets were a million eraser bits.

He’d deal with them later.

Naruto grabbed a clean pair of boxers from his drawer and headed towards the bathroom. Catching sight of a lump in the room across from his, one that vaguely resembled his roommate (also the person he was scheduled to work a 5-hour shift with today), he tiptoed inside and to the edge of the bed. He was just contemplating how to wake him up when pale eyelids fluttered open, and his roommate regarded him with a squint.

“What do you think you’re doing,” Shikamaru grumbled, voice rough with sleep. Somehow, he had sensed Naruto’s ominous presence in his subconscious (understandable, with the number of times he managed to prank the other in his sleep).

“Nothing!” He laughed, waving a hand vaguely. “Just reminding you that we have—” Naruto looked towards the clock hanging on the wall, always set a few minutes early, “—40 minutes to get ready before our shift starts.” Shikamaru buried his face in the pillow and groaned.

His next words came out muffled. “Go shower first, I’ll be up soon.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll leave you alone,” snickered Naruto. He padded out of the room, calling on his way out, “Don’t fall back asleep!” The response was incoherent.

Humming softly under the spray of cool water, Naruto mentally ran through his schedule for the day and the list of things he still needed to prepare for his concert with Hinata.

It had been a long time since he held one, mostly performing and touring with the orchestra. Planning and rehearsing for the concert simultaneously were stressful as fuck, so he was lucky to have an agent helping him. Many months ahead, Ino had reserved the small venue in Suntory Hall, hired a stage and lighting crew, and arranged a team to promote the event and sell tickets.

Now all he had to do was practice. A lot.

Finishing his shower and towelling himself dry, Naruto put on an orange t-shirt and a pair of faded blue skinny jeans, well-worn and frayed at the cuffs. He walked into the kitchen of the shared apartment and grabbed two packs of onigiri from the fridge, setting one aside for Shikamaru. With smooth, practiced motions, he made them both a cup of coffee to truly wake up before their shift.

Sitting at the kitchen island—warm sunlight shining through their open living room windows—Naruto had his breakfast in peace, ready for a bright, albeit tiring, new day.

-x-

After falling asleep at nearly two in the morning, Sasuke was jolted awake when the doorbell rang at 9 am on the dot.

 _Who the hell is that_ , he frowned into his pillow, desperately trying to ignore the unwelcome noise and fall back asleep. Several unsuccessful minutes later, his phone ringtone sounded, disturbingly loud in the once-peaceful quiet of his bedroom.

Hand shooting out to grab the offending device and see who the _fuck_ dared to call him this early on a Saturday morning, he groaned when he saw the smiling display of his brother’s contact photo. Of _course_.

Refusing the call with an irritated growl, he collapsed back onto his bed, only to hear a familiar voice calling from outside his apartment.

“Sasuke, open the door please.”

He should’ve known Itachi was also the jerk ringing his doorbell. The man sure knew how to ruin his day before it even started.

“Fuck off!” he groaned in the vague direction of his apartment door. An infuriating chuckle drifted through its wooden frame.

“Since you’re already awake, let’s go get brunch.”

_The absolute nerve!_

Staggering out of his room and into the entryway, he flung the door open to glare murderously at Itachi—who was already dressed immaculately for their excursion. The man was smiling, unperturbed, waving his phone in the air.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was still in his pajama pants and—not for the first or hundredth time in his life—contemplating murder of his own brother.

He made to slam the door in his face, but unfortunately, Itachi placed a hand on it with a chuckle and strode in before Sasuke’s sleep-addled body could stop him, proudly announcing he reserved a table at a restaurant in Shinjuku for 10:30.

“Why the fuck did you do that,” he groused, heading back into his room to wash up.

Since he was already so _rudely_ awakened.

Making himself at home on the couch, Itachi replied, “To spend some quality time with my little brother, of course! It’s been a busy few months, but since the project in Chengdu just ended, I figured we’d both have some free time on our hands.”

In the bathroom, Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“Also, mother asked me to check in on you.”

_Dammit._

Well, now he _had_ to hang out with his brother.

Sighing reluctantly, Sasuke resigned himself to his fate. He finished brushing his teeth and quickly ran his hair and face through some water, since he took a shower last night.

As he changed into a thin, navy t-shirt and tugged on a pair of dark grey casual pants, Itachi introduced the place they were heading to. A new fusion restaurant that opened a couple months ago; apparently, with many spectacular reviews.

Whatever. As long as Itachi was paying.

Slipping his phone into the pocket of his pants, Sasuke grabbed his keys and wallet from the small plate located near the door _._ “Fine, let’s go.”

Sasuke loathed to admit the food was quite good. He would actually like to come back again ( _alone_ though, next time).

Unsurprisingly, Itachi had other things planned for their rare afternoon free. They strolled through a nearby park, talking about their respective life updates. Itachi hinted that he was seeing someone. Sasuke said he couldn’t care less. They checked out a new exhibition at the Sompo Art Museum, commenting on the nice, but small selection of Impressionist paintings shown.

Around one in the afternoon, Itachi mentioned wanting a cup of coffee for the road home and led Sasuke down the street to a popular café at the corner of its block. Sasuke sighed when he realized the line had extended outside, twisting past the door but thankfully blocked off from foot traffic by queue barriers. Must have been a normal occurrence, then.

They walked towards the last person in the queue and Sasuke silently thanked the large cherry blossom trees around the block for shading them from the harsh mid-day sun. As they moved forward in line, Sasuke took a moment to check out the interior of the café.

The place, aptly named _The Hidden Leaf,_ was surprisingly spacious.

The atmosphere inside was cozy; earthy tones of brown, orange, and green decorated the walls, and silky white curtains were opened wide to allow heated sunlight to stream in through the windows. The countertops and tables were made of white and grey marble with gold trimmings, and all the chairs were a cushioned heather grey. Trinkets adorned the walls and floating bookshelves—picture frames, miniature figurines, a mixture of children’s art and sophisticated watercolour and oil paintings, as well as small potted plants.

The owners clearly put a lot of thought into the details and designs, and Sasuke appreciated the homey quality to the coffeehouse.

He stepped out of the line and walked further inside. In a small alcove next to the washrooms, an elevator and staircase led downstairs.

The lower level was essentially an underground music club—currently empty, save for a couple patrons nursing their afternoon drinks.

Black marble interwoven with gold veins housed the bar. Darker shades of the same colour scheme—hues of chocolate brown, maroon, and dark green—and various band memorabilia framed on the walls gave the space a nostalgic, retro vibe. Walnut high tables with wooden bar stools, and black leather booths encircled a raised platform on the right side of the room. On the stage was a baby grand, ebony chair, and mic stand.

It was an interesting set-up, somewhat elegant, somewhat grungy. Sasuke looked around the room with curiosity before his gaze rested on a beautiful violin showcased on the wall, encased in glass.

His thoughts naturally drifted towards a certain blond violinist.

Before he could let inquisitiveness bring his feet towards the display, Sasuke reminded himself of the shitty sleep he had last night—as a result of the hours spent watching the musician’s YouTube videos.

His curiosity had gone on far enough, he decided.

Tearing his gaze away, Sasuke turned around to head back and see if his brother had finished ordering.

Once upstairs though, he froze in place.

_You’re kidding me._

As if the universe was playing some twisted joke on him, the same person haunting his thoughts with his sparkling blue eyes, golden hair, and highlighter orange t-shirt, walked out from a set of kitchen doors in a dark green apron. Greeting Itachi from behind the counter.

Sasuke stared. The other boy laughed at something his brother said, rubbing his neck bashfully.

“Excuse me,” a random customer muttered before squeezing past him to the counter—reminding Sasuke of where he was standing. Immediately, he smoothened out his shocked expression and moved forward with measured strides. Naruto was currently making his brother’s order.

“What’s taking so long, Itachi?” he asked. He glanced over when he heard a soft noise from the blond, and their eyes met. Naruto blinked in surprise.

“Oh, Sasuke,” Itachi responded, “You remember Naruto, the violinist from yesterday’s fundraiser event, right? What a pleasant surprise it is to see him here.”

“Hn,” Sasuke hummed distractedly. It was his first time seeing Naruto up close, he realised. The blond's eyes seemed to glitter in the afternoon sun.

Naruto averted his gaze first, cheeks pink, staring somewhere past Sasuke’s shoulder. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he greeted him with, “Uh, nice to meet you, Sasuke!”

Sasuke couldn’t help a small smile on his lips, upon seeing the other boy's sudden shyness. “Likewise.”

Naruto’s wide eyes flicked back down to the whirring espresso machine. “Oh—Itachi, your drink will be ready in just a minute!”

His brother smiled, “Thank you, Naruto.” Turning to him, he said, “Sasuke, did you know that Naruto’s mother owned this café? He’s been helping out here since he was a teenager.”

“Oh?” He eyed the almost frantic movements of the other boy’s hands, fumbling over the machine handle and then jerkily pouring steamed milk into the reusable cup. “He doesn’t seem very experienced.”

An offended squawk erupted from Naruto’s lips as his head whipped up, blue eyes enlarged in shock. The rapid movement jostled the jug in his grip, ruining the elaborate cat being drawn in the foam. “ _Shit_ ,” Naruto cursed under his breath, setting the jug back on the counter, “Now I have to remake the drink!”

Narrowing his eyes at Sasuke—evidently irritated by the distraction—Naruto hurried to dump the coffee down the sink and start another drink.

“Are you allowed to waste resources like that? Those ground coffee beans must have been expensive,” Sasuke goaded, leaning his elbows on the counter.

Naruto bit out without looking away from his task, “Well, _teme_ , if you hadn’t insulted my awesome skills the design would have been fine!”

“ _Teme_? Do you call all your customers bastards?”

“No, just the rude ones!” Naruto puffed his cheeks out, angrily drawing another latte cat (perfectly, this time).

Sasuke tilted his head, barely suppressing the urge to smirk. “Was I being rude? It was merely an observation.”

“Bastard, my latte art’s the best around here!”

“I’m sure you think so.”

“ _You_ —!"

“Boys, boys—I would like my drink without further trouble, please,” his brother interjected calmly.

For a moment, Sasuke forgot Itachi was there. Naruto too, judging by the sheepish smile he wore. He whirled back to his waiting customer and passed the cup across the counter. “Sorry about that! Here’s your medium-sized latte with almond milk and extra sugar. Have a nice day, _Itachi_.”

Sasuke scoffed. _Petty._

“Yes, of course, Naruto. You have a wonderful day as well,” his brother smiled. Naruto waved amicably in his direction, completely ignoring Sasuke’s presence.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, smiling secretly, and following Itachi out the door.

They walked towards the car parked down the street in silence, but Sasuke could sense the other man’s knowing gaze on him.

Whatever. Although he _could_ examine why poking fun at the blond was so amusing.

Itachi cleared his throat.

“You know, Sasuke, I think your attempts at flirting would be more effective if you didn’t insult—”

“Shut the fuck up, Itachi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, comments and kudos are very much appreciated! next chapter will be up in a week


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back! here's a new chapter for y'all - featuring some Mild Flirting and Liquid Courage
> 
> playlist for this chapter:
> 
> [let the flames begin](https://open.spotify.com/track/2myJNvcL71V5IZ1N2NW29O?si=LTL4-YibSEuXw9Ff8TM1rQ) \- paramore  
> [renai shousetsu](https://open.spotify.com/track/4HG9OxuX68VFPQHzYI7xfY?si=_7xdAqm4S1CiGzI77MlGEQ) \- ikimonogakari  
> [kizuato](https://open.spotify.com/track/6bBTOkYn0vJJ33kH0IbZ0S?si=skb-QDzeQJSulIHqyPowBg) \- centimillimental (given op)

Naruto returned to his apartment later that night, flopping down face-first onto the living room couch with a loud groan.

“Shut up, man,” Shikamaru grumbled from somewhere below— _the beanbag chair?_ —words lost amid the jaunty laughter blaring from their TV speakers. Lucky bastard had probably been lazing around there for hours already.

Because he was a little shit, Naruto groaned even louder.

There was a rustling sound, beans shifting, then Shikamaru was turning the TV off. “Alright, Naruto,” he sighed in resignation. “What happened this time.”

Naruto rolled his eyes. “Wow, Shikamaru, you seem _so_ concerned for me,” he drawled sarcastically.

“I honestly don’t give a shit. But spill,” his roommate commanded _._

“Ugh, just! You know how I have that important meeting with the Akatsuki tomorrow?” Shikamaru hummed noncommittally.

 _He definitely forgot,_ Naruto snorted.

Rolling onto his back to stare up at the ceiling, he continued on. “They’re aiming to release their new album in January—so, about five months’ time. A couple months ago, they asked me to write some stuff for them, but well, you know… I haven’t had inspiration for a while.”

The Akatsuki, a famous pop rock band originating from the streets of Nagoya, were returning from a two-year hiatus to release a full-length album. Hearing from Naruto’s godfather that he was looking for more songwriting positions, they had asked for a sample. Eager to impress one of his favourite bands growing up, Naruto sent them a few songs he’d written for Utakata and Fū’s most recent albums—some of which charted quite well in Japan.

Fortunately, they were impressed enough to give him a contract.

Not so fortunately, he hasn’t had true inspiration for nearly a year—failing to actually _fulfill_ the contract.

Until last night.

 _Although…_ Naruto grimaced. Just thinking about the guy— _Sasuke_ —was pissing him off. _Questioning my skills out of nowhere—the fucking nerve!_ Naruto must have been imagining things last night; no way was Sasuke the same guy he’d seen at the fundraiser. How could a guy with a smile that pretty be such a rude jerk?!

God was so unfair, sometimes.

“So..." Shikamaru’s inflectionless voice drifted up from below, breaking him out of his internal rant. "Are you saying you have nothing to show them tomorrow?”

Naruto sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “Nah, I have some melodies and lyrics written. Except I wrote them about someone I met recently, only to find out he was a fucking asshole!”

“You… wrote songs about someone?”

While he could not see his face, Naruto could hear judgment in his roommate’s voice. He did not like it.

 _Alright, so I’ve never written songs about specific people._ “Yea, and? Inspiration can come from a variety of sources!” He huffed defensively.

Shikamaru was silent for a moment. Naruto’s skin prickled uncomfortably under the sharp gaze of his roommate. He wriggled onto his front and leaned over the edge of the couch to poke at his friend, questioning, “What? What is it!”

“Troublesome…” Shikamaru muttered under his breath. “Like you said, inspiration could come from a variety of sources. Who cares if the guy’s a jerk? He’s just source material in the end, right?”

Shikamaru had a point. _But._ “But every time I work on these songs I’ll think of his stupid face!”

His roommate looked over at him with a quirk in his brow. “Was he hot?”

Naruto nearly choked on his spit. He sputtered, with cheeks burning red with embarrassment, “What the fuck?! I-I mean, objectively he’s like, _alright_. Honestly, I’m a lot better—”

“—And so, you were inspired,” Shikamaru interrupted with a smirk.

Rolling his eyes at the condescending tone of his friend, Naruto grumbled petulantly. “What’s your point.”

With a shrug, Shikamaru laid down more comfortably on the beanbag chair. “I’m just saying, you could give the guy a chance. We all know you're into hot assholes.”

Naruto winced at the wording. That sentence did _not_ sound good coming from Shikamaru’s mouth.

 _Wait..._ “What do you mean give him a chance?”

Shikamaru looked unimpressed. “Aren’t you interested in the guy? Was that not why you were writing songs for him?”

Naruto flushed. “I’m not writing songs _for_ him! I’ve only seen this guy twice, all within the last 24 hours!”

His roommate gave him a strange look. “Alright, then what does it matter? Move on and forget about him, Naruto.”

Naruto pouted, cheeks still pink with embarrassment. _I mean… I’d like to try and get to know the guy a little bit, maybe_ … _Thank him for the inspiration, at least. Even if he was a jerk._ God knew _he_ didn’t leave the greatest first impressions.

“Don’t tell me you wanna be his _friend_.”

“S-shut up! I don't wanna be his friend!” Naruto denied outwardly. “It’s not like it even matters, there’s no way we’re meeting again.”

“Well, there ya go. Forget the dude.”

Feeling mildly scolded, Naruto twisted again to lie on his back, a huff on his lips.

He hated to admit it, but Shikamaru was right. He was thinking too much about some random dude he talked to once. He should move on.

Easy enough, right?

-x-

A week passed since Sasuke had last been to The Hidden Leaf.

Work had been a pain in the ass, like usual. Coming up at the end of September was the deadline for their third quarterly report of the year, and as the Director of Business Development he had several recently completed projects in Chengdu, Busan, and Rio to sort out financial statements and progress reports for. His team was working especially hard to meet those dates, all the employees doing overtime; but unable to stand the stifling atmosphere in the office any longer, he’d told everyone to go home on Friday night and get some rest for the entire weekend. He’d rather have to work a bit harder on the weekdays than push his team to burning out.

And with that self-imposed break from his job, he was finally going to unwind tonight by attending a concert at the café.

Would Sasuke catch Naruto working there tonight?

Their last interaction had left an impression. Seeing the guy bristle with anger was quite entertaining, for some reason, and the light pink flush of frustration painted an attractive colour on tanned cheeks. Sasuke hadn’t had much time to think about him in the past week with all the other shit going on in his life, but while driving in the serenity of the early evening and listening to the gentle lull of his car radio, he found his thoughts wandering.

He wondered what type of music the violinist (and barista) listened to normally. Seeing as the Akatsuki decided to perform at his mother’s café for some reason, it’d be safe to assume the blond at least knew the group. Was he also a fan of their music?

“Sasukeee, we there yet?”

Right. He nearly forgot he had a passenger, since Suigetsu had passed out in his seat approximately two minutes into the ride. How the guy could fall asleep so quickly, in such an uncomfortable position, Sasuke had no fucking idea.

“Nope.”

“Ehhh? How much longer?”

Sasuke glanced at the glowing screen on his dashboard. “About twenty minutes, I’d say.”

“So far away,” Suigetsu bemoaned. Abruptly sitting up in his seat and startling Sasuke, he exclaimed, “Oh! What do you think they’re gonna perform today? Think they’re gonna play any new songs?” Bleached-white eyebrows waggled up and down, lips quirking into an excited grin—all sharp teeth.

Sasuke raised his own eyebrow. “Isn’t it a bit early to be teasing new songs?”

“A guy could hope! And show some excitement, dude, they’re returning from a two-year hiatus!” Suigetsu sipped his drink loudly. Sasuke gave him a slightly disgusted look before returning his attention to the road.

“Hey, hey,” Suigetsu whispered conspiratorially, leaning over the centre console. “I heard Konan and Yahiko have been dating each other for years. Poor Nagato, probably spent a long ass time third wheeling,” the white-haired man snickered. Sasuke shoved him back into his seat.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” he offered tonelessly.

“Aww, Sasuke, you’re no fun! Let’s gossip a little. You dating anyone at the moment?”

 _Do I look like I have time?_ “Go the fuck to sleep, Suigetsu.”

“Alright, alright! Jeez, what a prick,” Suigetsu rolled his eyes, obnoxiously slurping the drink again. “Wake me up when we get there.”

Exactly two minutes later, the snoring began once again.

Sometimes Sasuke wondered how he became friends with Suigetsu—someone with a personality that clashed with his own.

At first, it was a friendship born out of convenience: they trained together on the high school swim team. Eventually, Suigetsu had wore him down to hanging out with his other friends after school, which was how he met Karin and Jūgo.

Karin was annoying. Sasuke wasn’t interested in girls, _especially_ clingy ones, and Karin had followed him around almost everywhere at first. Over time, however, she became more of an older sister to him—irritating as fuck, but nevertheless someone he had grown fond of. Jūgo, on the other hand, was great from the start. Quiet, gentle, compassionate, and protective of his friends. Also loved animals. Out of the three, Sasuke felt closest to him.

Despite his outward complaints, the four of them became pretty much inseparable during high school and throughout university. Although now, with Karin’s long hours in the research lab, Suigetsu’s swim training and competition schedule, Jūgo’s full-time job as a veterinarian, and Sasuke’s role in the family business, they had a difficult time meeting up often. It was a rare Saturday evening free for both Sasuke and Suigetsu that just happened to fall on the day of the mini concert; immediately, they’d snagged tickets.

With only a few explosive snores disrupting the silence, the rest of the drive went by in relative peace. Finding a spot behind the café, he parked his car and jostled Suigetsu awake.

They arrived around six. The setting sun and subdued gaslights gave a nice, intimate quality to the café, and Sasuke spotted a few couples enjoying the romantic atmosphere, huddled together at tables with drinks in hand. Treading down the stairs with Suigetsu, Sasuke also noted that fairy lights had been strewn up on the ceiling, creating the impression of a starry sky.

Inside, the energy of the room was palpable. The place was much more packed than the last time he visited. Tables were moved near the edge of the room to clear out a centre pit—the space now teeming with excited fans. People were lining up at the bar and grabbing tables with drinks in hand, chattering enthusiastically as they waited for the glowing stage to be filled. Rock music blasted through high-quality speakers. The instruments and equipment were already set up—a drum set, amplifiers, chairs, and mic stand—and soon, Sasuke felt himself getting pulled into the electric atmosphere.

“I’ll go get us a table, you get the drinks,” he called to Suigetsu, raising his voice to be heard over the noise. At Suigetsu’s nod, he parted from the bustling crowd and found one remaining booth, situated further away at the wall facing the stage. Suigetsu would probably complain that they were too far away, but at least there was a direct view.

As he waited for his friend to return with their drinks and the performance to start, Sasuke caught himself scanning the room for messy blond hair. There was someone near the stage, speaking to a guy with ash-grey hair, that bore a shocking resemblance to Naruto. Squinting to see better in the darkness, he noticed the creases around smiling blue eyes and realized the man was probably around 40 years old. Not Naruto, then.

A slightly disappointed feeling settled in his chest.

 _Wow_ … he needed to get a grip.

The spotlights dimmed on stage, thankfully distracting him from his embarrassing thoughts. People around him squealed before falling into hushed chatter, and Suigetsu was speed walking towards their table, a concentrated furrow in his brow as he tried not to spill their drinks across the floor. He set them on the table with a toothy grin and flopped down in the seat across from Sasuke, nearly vibrating with anticipation. Sasuke responded with a smile of his own.

Three shadowed figures made their way out from behind the curtains and the crowd started _screaming_. Spotlights blinked back on to reveal a woman and two men dressed in variations of black, red, and white—their signature colours.

Konan settled down on the stool in the middle of the stage, her shoulder-length purple hair partially held in a bun, classic flower clipped in place. Hazel-coloured eyes were highlighted by glittery orange eyeshadow. A metal labret flashed under the light as she mouthed a few words to her bandmates, and the black silk top she wore was cropped to bare her midriff and show off a navel piercing. Mahogany ripped jeans completed her look.

Beside her was Nagato, a tall, pale man with burgundy red hair and eerie lavender eyes. He walked next to the amplifier and hooked a cord to his acoustic-electric guitar. Nagato wore a black thin knit long-sleeve and jeans. One side of his face was hidden under bangs, and when he tossed his head back, Sasuke saw a flash of diamond earrings.

The last figure at the back, walking towards the drum set, had even more piercings, not at all hidden by his wild orange hair. Metal rings and shark bites on the nose and lips were a look Sasuke had come to associate with Yahiko. He was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and ripped black jeans.

As they shifted into position, Sasuke noticed the black cloud tattoos and rings adorning their fingers, still there after all these years. It had been a while since he last saw them on stage but aside from looking a bit more mature, not much about their appearances have changed.

Konan introduced herself first and gestured towards the other two, who both raised a hand and waved at the audience. Some fans visibly swooned at the three people on stage—already crying about how much they missed them.

Their first song of the night was _Let the Flames Begin_ , their debut single. With energetic beats and guitar riffs, the atmosphere of the room was quickly heightened to the roaring cheers of the crowd.

Between songs, they spoke casually about their activities during the past two years of hiatus, including school, travels, and people they’d come across. Sasuke was having fun, skin humming from an alcoholic buzz and the thundering reverberations of bass drums.

After performing _Renai Shousetsu_ , a keyboard player came out from backstage and Nagato switched to a bass guitar. The next song, _Kizuato_ , was their title track from the previous album and one of his all-time favourites; Sasuke cheered at the top of his lungs as they began the performance. Konan’s voice, a smooth honey-like alto, crooned to the fast rock beat and harmonic bassline as her fingers moved deftly across the guitar strings. She swayed with the gentle melody of the refrain, strumming rhythmically in the lead-up to the last chorus. Sweaty bodies in the centre pit jumped enthusiastically to the beat, and the vibrations from the amp reverberated throughout the room.

The song concluded the first half of the mini concert, and as they announced a short intermission, Sasuke’s gaze roamed over the crowd, still pulsating with lingering energy.

He’d felt a tingling sensation on his skin during the last few minutes of the song, initially writing it off as the alcohol in his veins.

He was wrong, though.

The pieces fell into place when Sasuke’s eyes caught a tuft of wild blond hair, his gaze drifting down to find a pair of electric blue eyes staring directly at him.

-x-

_Shit, he’s walking over!_

Looking around desperately for somewhere to hide, Naruto grimaced at the stupidity of his own actions. It was his own fault for staring, after all. Seeing nowhere on the floor to sink into in humiliation, he took a deep breath and braced himself for some sort of confrontation with the raven-haired boy.

He looked up, startled to discover the guy was already in front of him, arms crossed over his chest.

Heart pounding, Naruto leaned his elbows back against the bar table with a narrowed look. “What do you want?”

Sasuke smirked, likely having noticed his panic. _God, what an asshole._ “Nice to see you too. You listen to Akatsuki?”

_Should I tell him? I’ll tell him!_

“ _Actually,_ ” Naruto puffed his chest out proudly, “I’m also on their production team!”

The other boy lifted his eyebrows in astonishment. “For their new album?”

It was Naruto’s turn to smirk. Rubbing a finger across his nose, he answered smugly, “Yup! Surprised?”

Sasuke huffed out an amused breath, resting his elbow on the bar table and propping his chin on a broad palm. “Honestly, no. Music is your forte, after all.”

Naruto blinked in surprise.

 _Did he just compliment me…?_ Frowning in confusion, he searched the other’s face for signs of teasing—only finding genuine honesty. And something else he could not identify.

Just as he was about to comment on how uncharacteristically nice the guy was being tonight, Sasuke’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Latte art, though? Not so much.”

Gritting his teeth, Naruto whirled around in his chair to face the jerk fully. “You’re still going on about that, _teme_? Are you ever gonna let it go?” Sasuke snorted lightly, leaning closer with a smirk.

Suddenly finding himself pinned under an intense, half-lidded gaze, Naruto sat frozen in his seat, eyes wide with bewilderment. _What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck-_ His heart beat thunderously in his eardrums, the pulse at his neck beginning to thrum wildly. With razor-sharp awareness of the distance between their faces, Naruto found his gaze drawn inexplicably to those dark eyes, and his breath hitched at the discovery of small, bright specks of light reflected in them.

“Not until you show me something better.”

His skin prickled at the sensation of Sasuke’s breath fanning across his face, the soft, teasing tone rousing warmth over his cheeks.

The words held a challenge though, and despite not really understanding _why_ he was being challenged, his limbs tingled with the determination to not back down from it.

He leaned in closer too, glaring. “I’ll show you something better, believe it.”

Sasuke’s eyes darkened at his words, flickering down to Naruto’s lips and back. “I’ll hold you to that.”

They held each other’s gazes for another breathless moment, before a grating voice interrupted their staring.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who’s this, Sasuke?!”

Naruto snapped out of his daze, only now realizing just how close they'd been to… to what? _Kissing??_

Heat flooded his already-burning face at the thought. _No fucking way._ Sasuke stood up straight with an eyeroll, pushing his friend—a guy with bleached-white hair and _very_ sharp teeth—back towards their booth.

“You don’t need to know,” Sasuke muttered to him, sliding a sly glance towards Naruto. “I’ll see you around, Naruto.”

Still reeling from their lost proximity, he managed a stiff nod.

It was only after several moments, during which the crowd cheered for the next half of the concert to begin (and he found his gaze constantly drifting towards a certain booth), that Naruto truly registered their interaction for what it was.

_That… that was flirting!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you're cringing at their conversation - don't worry, SAME.
> 
> next chapter will be up in a week! thanks for reading <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> previously: sns + tipsy florting?? I wonder what'll happen when they meet again *eyes emoji*
> 
> playlist for this chapter:
> 
> ["devil's trill"](https://open.spotify.com/track/6b6EmPElw09fWyaY7yzo5N?si=qnXN2dZxQ5CYUY1ngZy5mg) \- giuseppe tartini  
> ["kreutzer"](https://open.spotify.com/track/3EUjfMkzzDwmevWqxY3jvF?si=nMgOAn7fSwqwequHMm9SOQ) \- ludwig van beethoven  
> [sonata for violin solo no. 2 in a minor, bwv 1003](https://open.spotify.com/track/0KDHY2Gyf0YVp29vSBoKoP?si=YYn0erIdSsiMzuPtDPTEZg) \- j.s. bach  
> [violin sonata in d major, op. 94bis](https://open.spotify.com/track/1Ig45ZKg5dkMIXx0ex6qet?si=AimX27cHQqanMtFvGN8jZg) \- sergei prokofiev

On Thursday morning, Itachi strolled into his office (without knocking) and waved something in the air.

“I got tickets,” he announced proudly.

“What are you talking about,” Sasuke muttered, without looking up from his work. At this point, he was quite used to unwelcome disruptions early in the day. The man walked further inside, brushing off the look of dismay Sasuke sent his way.

“Tickets for Naruto’s concert, of course. I bought two, thinking we could attend together in support.”

Sasuke tried not to let his surprise show upon hearing the name.

_Naruto has a concert? When and where? How the hell did Itachi find out?_

After Suigetsu interrupted him and Naruto at the bar last Saturday, and Sasuke cursed him out for leaving their booth unattended, they returned to their seats—thankfully not stolen—just in time for the second half of the concert to start. Everything was fine until he realized he’d forgotten to ask for Naruto’s number.

And how many fateful encounters could happen between them, before Sasuke’s luck ran out?

So, while slightly embarrassing, he waited a couple songs, then ventured back to the bar under the guise of wanting another drink (good thing he had arranged for a driver to bring him and Suigetsu back to his apartment).

But Naruto wasn’t there anymore.

For a moment, he thought that maybe the blond went to the bathroom. After ordering his and Suigetsu’s drinks, Sasuke paused near the bar for another minute, before truly registering Naruto had left.

And that Sasuke had probably driven him off.

The thought hurt his pride a little, since _he_ was usually the one breaking hearts around here, but it was his fault if he came on too strong.

Feeling slightly regretful but hoping that the other boy didn't actually leave because of him, Sasuke felt a surge of anticipation running through his body at the opportunity to see Naruto again.

He hummed with interest, looking up at his brother. “When is the event?”

Itachi smiled knowingly.

“Will you be available the evening of Sunday, September 27th?”

-x-

This was it.

After months of extensive planning, hours and hours of intensive practice, as well as a whole lot of stress-induced workouts, Naruto was finally performing at Suntory Hall.

He’d glanced outside about fifteen minutes ago, and the concert hall was packed. Was he that popular? He felt his self-confidence rise, slightly.

Despite having performed on hundreds of stages since the age of 12—trained under the skillful tutelage of world-famous Minato Namikaze (also his dad)—a two-year hiatus from playing in recitals to focus on orchestra performances and music production made him more nervous to be up there with just piano accompaniment.

His colleagues from the orchestra came to support, as well as most of his friends and family, but there was an overwhelming number of people down there that he didn’t recognize. Though, Naruto was glad to see people of different ages occupying the audience—including a surprising number of children and teenagers! Maybe he could inspire some of the younger generation to pursue Classical violin!

Successfully hyping himself up, Naruto returned to his pre-stage routine.

He paced around the green room while warming his fingers with a hot pack; they always turned cold and clammy when he was nervous, regardless of what the external temperature was. Naruto hummed through the melody of his first piece, mentally reviewing the phrasing and dynamics.

Minutes later, there was a gentle knock, followed by a familiar head of pink hair poking through the open doorway. He grinned.

“Sakura-chan!”

“Hey, Naruto!”

He walked towards her open arms for a comforting hug. Sakura’s warm hands rubbing over his back helped to calm his nerves a little. “How’re you doing?”

He squeezed her tighter with a sigh, “ _Stressed_. Do I look okay?” He pulled away, self-consciously patting the slicked back bangs his hairstylist had fought into submission. Sakura smacked his hands away with a _tsk_ to prevent him from ruining it.

“You look _fine_ , Naruto!”

“Yeah? Heh, heh, I’ll not only charm the audience with my amazing violin skills but also my devastatingly handsome looks!” His declaration met a smack on his arm. “Ow!” He whined childishly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Glad to see you overflowing with confidence. Oh, right! Before I came in here Hinata told me show starts in ten.” She eyed him up and down. “You ready?”

Crossing his arms across his chest— _hmm, this shirt’s a little tight around the armpits_ —he huffed, “Geez, Sakura-chan! Have more faith! You’re looking at a guy who’s performed at Carnegie Hall!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sakura waved a hand vaguely in the air, chuckling at his affronted squawk (“not everyone can perform there, Sakura-chan!”). “I’ll be heading down now. Good luck out there! You’re gonna be amazing.” She pulled him into another quick hug.

“Thanks, Sakura-chan. Try not to fall for me!” Naruto smirked. He's shoved away, but not before catching the matching grin on her face.

“I wouldn’t sweat it!”

The program tonight was a selection of four violin sonatas. First up was Tartini’s “Devil’s Trill”, which he played at the fundraiser a few weeks ago. Second was a 35-minute monster: Beethoven’s “Kreutzer”. The first half would end on this technically and emotionally demanding piece—not to mention abnormally _lengthy_. Following the intermission was J. S. Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in A minor, and last but not least, Prokofiev’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major—a lyrical and energetic finale to the recital.

His arms were going to be on fucking _fire_.

“Naruto, you’re up in five.” One of the stage crew members came in to remind him.

“Got it!”

Bracing himself, he stepped out into the frenzy. His stylists fluttered about for last-minute touch-ups to his hair and clothes, making sure he didn’t look like his usual self—"a disaster rolling out of bed”, as they’d say.

He couldn’t deny that he looked suave and mature in a classic white ironed shirt and black suit pants combo. Naruto was proud to say his efforts at the gym didn’t go to waste either—his muscles were smoothly outlined through the thin material of his shirt, and these form-fitting pants made his ass look pretty amazing _._

(If Naruto had a bit more shame, he’d hesitate on feeling himself up backstage, but the makeup applied on his face made him even more thick-skinned than usual.)

He grinned when he saw Hinata walking over in a navy-blue satin gown, freshly done hair and makeup shimmering under the low lights.

“Hinata! You look amazing!” He gave her a side hug so as not to ruin her styling. She blushed and giggled gracefully behind her hand.

“Thank you—you look very dashing!”

He grinned wider at the compliment, taking a moment to ask how she was feeling, whether she was nervous to perform with him for the first time.

The signal to head onto stage appeared then, and he grabbed his violin and bow. Heaving a deep breath in and out of his lungs, he stepped out from behind the side curtains and walked towards the piano with Hinata. At the burst of applause, he turned to smile at the audience, waving excitedly at his parents and his friends sitting in the first row. They laughed and cheered even louder.

Once at the middle of the stage, he and Hinata bowed deeply towards the audience. After tuning his instrument, he gave her a nod, which also signalled the stage crew to dim the lights.

A spotlight shone brightly on him and his partner. Taking a calming breath, he began his performance.

-x-

To say Sasuke was shocked at the turnout would be an understatement. And could you blame him? He hadn’t been to a recital in about ten years. Sasuke had assumed there would only be middle-aged and senior citizens in the audience, but nearly half the seats were filled with children, teenagers, and young adults. And there were almost no empty seats.

Internally, he thanked Itachi for getting them better tickets.

Still, he wished he came here alone. When Naruto emerged from the curtains and started waving enthusiastically at the front row, Sasuke had to fight back a snicker, lest his brother notice.

Despite not knowing jackshit about the other boy, Sasuke felt endeared to his genuine display of excitement.

Just then, the lights dimmed, casting spotlights on the duo on stage.

Like the other night, Sasuke found himself unable to look away from the blond. Despite having heard “Devil’s Trill” the other night, Sasuke noticed more details this time—a different expression, another bow technique. According to the program brochure, the second piece was approximately _thirty-five minutes_ , and yet it felt so much shorter. The concentrated furrow of his brow and flickering shadows over his face as he moved with the music made Naruto look more mature than Sasuke had ever seen him.

After a 15-minute intermission, Naruto performed a solo piece; even by himself, his stage presence was captivating.

Despite quitting the instrument years ago, Sasuke recognised Naruto’s level of skill and musical understanding within the execution of the smallest emotional and technical details. Naruto’s performance of the last piece demonstrated his range—flowing seamlessly between floating melodies, percussive dissonances, light and playful tones, and propelling rhythms.

Before he knew it, the recital was over.

The duo on stage bowed, and a couple people from the first few rows rushed up the stage to hand them bouquets. One blond man—who Sasuke recognized shockingly as the man he mistook for Naruto at the bar—and a short woman with flaming red hair went up to hug him tightly. Likely his parents.

Once the applause ended, and the performers returned backstage with a final bow, people began to file out of the concert hall.

Minutes later, Sasuke leaned against a tree outside and peered at the time on his phone. Would Naruto have finished up in there by now? Should he really stay for a little longer? He drove here separately, so there wasn’t an issue of making his brother wait for him. He had already sent Itachi a text while he was in the restroom, telling him to go ahead and leave first.

“Sasuke!” A bright voice suddenly called out from behind him.

Sasuke looked up with a start— _is that…?_

Sure enough, Naruto was jogging over, still in his formal clothes and makeup.

He looked amazing on stage, but even better up close. Silky golden hair escaping the gel holding it back fell over his forehead, stylishly tousled. Pale orange eyeshadow highlighted the blue of his eyes, which glittered like sapphires under the streetlights. His boyish features were lit up in unbridled joy, as if he was _happy_ to see Sasuke—and Sasuke, unwittingly, felt it harder to breathe, heart racing against his ribcage with that cheerful smile aimed his way.

-x-

The final note rang out through the concert hall, shortly followed by cheers and applause. Naruto brought his bow to rest at his side and smiled brightly at the crowd, holding a hand out for Hinata to take. Together, they bowed towards the audience.

Mom and Dad came on stage with huge bouquets of flowers, both grinning proudly. Their friends rushed on stage as well, wrapping them up in hugs and stuffing them with gifts. It was when Naruto and Hinata were leaving the stage, wearing tired smiles and arms overflowing with flowers from family and friends, that Naruto saw Sasuke sitting in the fifth row.

While shocked, he could only gawk for a moment before getting pulled backstage by Ino. He had to regain focus. To close off the night, Naruto thanked his management team, set-up crew, lighting directors, acoustics and recording team, and stylists for an amazing and successful show. Then, setting his flowers down on a table nearby, he quickly met with the recording engineer to see if the audiovisuals turned out alright.

His foot could not stop tapping.

He was restless and overflowing with questions (how did Sasuke know about his show? Why did he come? Was he still here or did he leave already?) and Tenten was clearly aware of it—eventually waving him off to do whatever he was itching to do.

Forgoing all changing and removal of his makeup, he bounded out of the auditorium, nerves prickling with adrenaline. At least fifteen to twenty minutes had passed; he wouldn’t be surprised if the guy had already left.

And what would Naruto even _say_ , if he was still here?

‘ _Heyy Sasuke, so about the other night… were you flirting with me? If not then haha, no worries! Maybe we could hang out sometime, you know, as bros!’_

Naruto winced. That was fucking disastrous.

He had no plan, really, but their interaction honestly messed with his head a little. He needed answers, and hopefully he'd get them today!

Once out of the concert hall, his gaze swept frantically across the entrance and parking lot. With a giant exhale of relief (and exhaustion from running), Naruto finally spotted the other boy looking down at his phone, waiting by a tree.

_He’s still here!_

Naruto called out his name and jogged towards him, watching Sasuke’s eyes snap up to his in surprise. He was wearing a crisp grey shirt with slim black pants, a light blue jacket over his arm. Dark bangs fell over his forehead and covered one eye. _Shit, a_ _re those piercings??_ Sasuke looked nice.

Really nice. 

He came to a halt in front of the man, catching his breath. He smiled nervously under the strong gaze and subtly wiped his sweaty hands dry on his pants.

“Hey! Uh, you came to the concert!”

“Yeah.” Sasuke offered a small smile, “You played well.”

A small blush rose to Naruto’s cheeks. “Oh! Um, thanks!” He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit whenever someone complimented him, and grinned, “Glad you enjoyed the concert!”

Sasuke nodded.

The following silence was stretched taut and awkward. Naruto had no idea how to proceed from here, feeling pretty out of his comfort zone. For the past couple of weeks leading up to the concert, all he had allowed himself to focus on was practice and occasionally, his songs written for Akatsuki. He had refused to think too much about their last interaction because if anything, it only made him more confused. Was Sasuke drunk? Was he out of his mind? Why was he flirting with Naruto of all people?

Naruto was at a loss. What was he supposed to do now? Should he talk about it? Pretend he forgot? Fuck, he should have thought things through before approaching the guy.

Perhaps feeling speechless for a similar reason, Sasuke bit his lip slightly and looked off to the side. The subtle change in his expression made Naruto’s palms sweat again.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, stuffing his clammy hands into the pockets of his pants. Sasuke looked over. “So… how'd you find out about the concert?”

Sasuke let out a huff from his nose. “My brother got the tickets, actually. I’m not quite sure how he found out about it.”

“Oh.” Naruto bit his lip. _I guess he saw an advertisement…?_

Sasuke glanced towards the parking lot. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going to drive home—”

“—No!” Sasuke looked over in surprise. “I mean, um—can I have your number! Please!”

Naruto’s face prickled hot with shame. _What the fuck was that??_

His expression must have looked hilarious, because Sasuke started snickering, muffling the sound with a hand over his mouth. The action made Naruto flush even more intensely.

“What!” He cried, “What are you laughing at!”

Sasuke’s shoulders were shaking lightly now—and Naruto couldn’t even get mad at him properly for it, because he looked so pretty.

The sun had already gone down; neon lights from the restaurants and cafés further down the plaza cast a soft glow on the other boy’s face, partially hidden by dark bangs. Naruto’s skin buzzed with a feeling he couldn’t describe—underneath it all, a bubbling warmth in his chest swelled at the sight and sound of the other boy’s gentle, tinkling laughter.

_Seriously, Naruto? Get a grip._

Stamping down on his disgustingly gooey feelings, because he had an appearance to uphold (he had to establish _some_ control over this situation, at least), Naruto propped his hands on his hips. “Well, are ya giving me your number or not!”

Sasuke crossed his arms across his chest with a playful smirk. “And what if I don’t want to give it to you?”

 _I don’t know, cry in humiliation?_ “Don’t give it to me then,” he snapped back, crossing his arms as well. “I don’t want it anymore!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “You’re so immature.”

Naruto looked away from him then, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. That was probably the wrong way to go about getting someone’s number—who was he to demand that kind of information? Honestly, he probably mistook meaningless drunken flirting for genuine interest, and now he was already in over his head, spinning things out of proportion and taking things too seriously, like usual, embarrassing himself in front of this really fucking attractive guy he’d only talked to for a combined ten minutes—

“Oi.” Sasuke’s voice rang clear in the empty lot.

Looking over questioningly, he found Sasuke frowning off to the side. “Give me your phone, idiot.”

Naruto blinked.

Seeing a light pink blush rising on the other boy’s cheeks lifted an anxious weight off his chest. Maybe this was weird for Sasuke too.

With a mischievous grin, Naruto repeated Sasuke’s words back to him. “And… what if I don’t want to give it to you?”

Sasuke looked over sharply. He let out a huff of exasperation, casually turning on his heels to leave.

“Wait—jeez! Can’t you take a little teasing?” Laughing playfully, he handed his phone over. “Here!”

Sasuke plucked the phone from his fingers, eyeing him warily. Naruto rocked on his heels while the other boy inputted his contact information, the hands behind his back fidgeting with nervous excitement.

“Here—” Sasuke threw his phone over. Naruto did _not_ fumble the receive.

“I’m leaving then,” he said, the corner of his lips quirked up in a half-smile. “I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah!” Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

Once the other boy disappeared into the parking lot, Naruto unlocked his phone screen, grinning at the “Uchiha Sasuke” now in his contact list.

Guess he didn’t make a _complete_ fool of himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 5 will be up in ~a week! stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!! the process of this chapter kinda went like this:
> 
> the ideas in my mind: great, sappy, fantastic, comprehensive  
> me trying to write it out: [crying doge meme]
> 
> anyways this was a real struggle, but it's out there now! this is my first time writing out chat messages, so i hope the formatting is okay. thank you for waiting the extra few days, here is some tooth-rotting fluff as an apology <3
> 
> playlist for this chapter (more so just . the vibes):
> 
> [plastic love](https://open.spotify.com/track/1DBqmybmBZiJ0N98hbthPD?si=1vcD-yUhS12E6MZxD36mYg) \- friday night plans (original: mariya takeuchi)  
> [jet black](https://open.spotify.com/track/70pZIQqQ37SrNCADx0FiPN?si=hIeWGc-5Q8KgzphnQ2NOCg) \- anderson .paak (ft. brandy)  
> [boy with luv](https://open.spotify.com/track/5KawlOMHjWeUjQtnuRs22c?si=fIQJkoW9SRC2VH-awzgUwA) \- bts (ft. halsey)

Sasuke opened his calendar app and checked his schedule for the next few weeks.

Tomorrow morning, he would be flying out for an important meeting with their developers in Fukuoka and returning Friday for a conference call with the Board Committee—which he needed to prepare a presentation for, as they’ll be discussing holiday promotions and sponsorship deals.

He sighed, leaning back in his chair.

His shoulders were still feeling a little sore from the past few weeks of constantly looking over their due reports. Sasuke had long considered going to a massage therapist to relieve the tension in his muscles—that couldn’t be worked out through exercise, at least—but there was too much shit coming up, too much travelling for meetings. His massage would have to wait.

Sasuke turned his seat to face the windows overlooking the metropolitan city. Surrounding his building was, well, a lot more skyscrapers, but being on the 40th floor meant he could see further into the horizon and have a perfect view of the sun setting at this hour. The skies glowed pink and orange, providing a soft, dim backlight for his workspace. His office—spacious, well-organized, and filled with plants to bring liveliness to the room—felt a bit warmer under the evening glow, which lent him some strength and motivation to complete the last leg of his tasks for the day.

There wasn’t anything to complain about. It was an amazing position to be in—and Sasuke liked working with numbers and figures, liked doing analytical work, liked the time sensitivity, dynamic work pace, and creativity involved in his job.

He wondered if his life could just continue like this.

Sasuke visited his parents’ home over the weekend—which meant receiving another lecture about family responsibility from his father. He certainly seemed to believe Sasuke should stay in his current career path rather than switching back to software development. It had been his stance on the subject since Sasuke first brought up his plans in high school, when instead of going directly into business school Sasuke had decided to work for a start-up throughout his computer science degree. His father had conceded—and Sasuke knew that the most important part of it all was becoming successful in his position and bringing honour to the Uchiha name.

He was never quite the people-pleaser, never cared much about creating connections and networks. He wanted to work behind the scenes, create something meaningful out of scratch, solve real-world issues. Sasuke worked hard towards his goals, taking internships over the summer, doing contractor work during the school year, and he even identified classmates to approach for ideas—those who were more business-oriented and could likely take over the publicity side of things.

However, a year ago, Sasuke—freshly graduated with an MBA and lined up for interviews with several electronics and app development companies as a software engineer—received a call from his mother that his father was in the hospital after a heart attack.

The company was in the process of hiring a new Director of Business Development after the previous guy retired, and the first thing his father requested of him after waking up from fucking _surgery_ was for Sasuke to take over the role. _Less onboarding time required_ , his father explained. _You already understand a significant portion of the business, Sasuke, better than most people we’ve been interviewing for the position. You’d be a perfect fit—and you’d bring a fresh perspective to the company._

What was Sasuke gonna say—no?

He’d thought about it objectively. The experience would add valuable leadership and business analytical skills to his resume, which would be useful no matter where he ended up in the future. And he was still young—he had lots of time ahead of him.

Now, a year later, he was enjoying most aspects of his job (except for the networking events) but still, reluctant to give up his initial dreams. Should he be accepting his permanence in the family business, or treating it as a temporary, fill-in role as he looks for his own replacement?

The phone in his pocket buzzed with a text notification, pulling him out of his thoughts. Since he wasn’t getting back to work any time soon, Sasuke took out the device and turned on the screen.

His lips curled into a smile when he saw it was a message from Naruto.

_

**Naruto (sent 16:41)**

_[Image attached – Naruto lying on the couch, cheek smushed against the cushion]_

today's mood

_

Sasuke released an amused huff from his nose and typed out his reply.

_

**Sasuke (sent 16:42)**

Get up, you’re making the couch dirty

**Naruto (sent 16:42)**

(ꐦﾟДﾟ)＜!!

RUDE?????

**Sasuke (sent 16:42)**

I can literally see you drooling

**Naruto (sent 16:43)**

oh

!

delete the photo

pretend you didn’t see that!

**Sasuke (sent 16:44)**

No, I think I’ll keep it

**Naruto (sent 16:44)**

SASUKE!!!

DELETE IT FROM YOUR PHONEヽ(｀Д´)ﾉ

**Sasuke (sent 16:45)**

Should've checked before sending, idiot

How was practice today

**Naruto (sent 16:45)**

not so great

my head’s been hurting all day so

couldn’t get much done :(

**Sasuke (sent 16:46)**

You’re sick?

**Naruto (sent 16:46)**

idk… maybe a little under the weather? throat feels scratchy

**Sasuke (sent 16:46)**

Go home and rest

And don’t eat instant ramen

Do you have medicine?

**Naruto (sent 16:47)**

omg sasuke are you worried about me?!（*/∇＼*）

**Sasuke (sent 16:47)**

No, I just have very little faith in your ability to take care of yourself

**Naruto (sent 16:48)**

I can take care of myself just fine!!

just admit it, you’re WORRIED!!!

uh… not sure, I haven’t gotten sick in a while

I’ll make a trip to familymart just in case

**_**

Sasuke looked at the time on his phone screen. He could probably make it to the fusion restaurant he’d visited with Itachi by 5:30 pm if he left the office in ten minutes. They had an amazing selection of comfort foods, flavourful, nutritious, and soothing on the palate; perhaps a warm soup could help Naruto feel better.

Sasuke froze as his mind caught up to his thoughts.

Would it… be weird if Sasuke bought food for him? After all, they haven’t been talking long—just texting regularly throughout the week since the day after Naruto’s recital.

But they hit it off really well, Sasuke thought. Despite their opposite personalities and less-than-smooth interactions in person, conversation flowed surprisingly easy, often extending late into the night.

With every little tidbit revealed about himself, Sasuke wanted to know more; he wanted to learn more about Naruto’s pet frogs, hear more of Naruto’s lame music jokes, wanted to see more of his mischievous grins and shy blushes in person.

Fuck. He was already whipped.

Well, they were friends now, right? Friends could take care of each other when sick and there didn’t necessarily have to be an ulterior motive.

(Sasuke ignored the fact that he’s personally never done this for anyone else before. He’s never even felt this way before, with most of his past “relationships” formed through convenience and mutual benefits.

This was different.

It seemed like Naruto was burrowing deeper into his thoughts than Sasuke had initially anticipated.)

He’d just drop the food off with Naruto and leave after a simple greeting, Sasuke decided. They hadn’t planned a date yet, what with their busy work schedules, so it felt a bit awkward to meet up “officially” while the other wasn’t feeling well.

Returning his attention to the chatting app, Sasuke formulated a reply—deciding to just ask the question directly.

_

**Sasuke (sent 16:50)**

What’s your address

_

He held the phone in his left hand, staring as the _typing…_ dialogue appeared and disappeared next to Naruto’s name. Sasuke looked out the window and tapped his unoccupied fingers against his thigh, nervously waited for the response.

A vibration alerted him to a new message.

_

**Naruto (sent 16:51)**

moving a little fast, don’t you think ;)

_[Location pin]_

i hope you’re not a serial killer haha

_

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

_

**Sasuke (sent 16:51)**

If I were a serial killer, you’d already be dead

Do you have any food allergies?

**Naruto (sent 16:51)**

no… why do you ask… (ಠ_ಠ)

**Sasuke (sent 16:52)**

Well I’m not trying to poison you if that’s what you’re thinking

Go home and rest, idiot. You'd better be home in an hour

**Naruto (sent 16:52)**

ok, honey <3

_

Snorting in amusement, Sasuke reached up to hide his smile, even though there was no one else to see it.

Well. Two could play at this game.

_

**Sasuke (sent 16:53)**

See you soon, babe

_

-x-

As he’d promised Sasuke, Naruto gathered his stuff to go home. He left the practice hall with a massive grin, steps light and buoyant despite the heavy pounding in his skull, as he made his way to the underground parking lot.

Naruto liked the term of endearment Sasuke used; joking as it was, the message made him flush all the way down his neck, biting his lip to hide delighted giggles from escaping while other people were in the room. He liked the fact that Sasuke seemed concerned for him, too, liked that he was actually a huge softie at heart.

He just liked Sasuke.

There was no point in denying his attraction to the other man anymore—although he was _definitely_ not revealing who he was texting late at night while snickering into his sheets, to his roommate.

Fuck that, he could find out when things were more official between them.

Speaking of which—they never planned a date. After all their downright flirty conversations, Naruto was about 90% sure the feelings were mutual; although, how fleeting they were on Sasuke’s side, he’d have to figure out when they met up again. Which would have to wait until Sasuke returned from his business trips, at least.

Naruto thought about their earlier conversation again, with Sasuke asking him for his address and food allergies. _See you soon, babe,_ he said, the words giving Naruto butterflies in his stomach as if he were still a teenager, giddily waiting to meet his crush again.

(It was honestly not far from the truth.)

Was he being delusional by thinking Sasuke was going to bring him dinner? What other reason could there be for asking those questions though?

 _Wait a second,_ the gears in Naruto’s head turned slowly (for that, he blamed the headache).

Sasuke was coming over. To his _apartment_.

 _Shit_ , Naruto thought, walking faster. The place was messy as hell—both him and Shikamaru hadn’t bothered to clean it over the weekend. Curse Sasuke for being so cryptic about his plans (it wasn’t like he could just _ask_ him outright if he was coming over)! Sasuke told him to be home in an hour, so that was probably when he planned to arrive. Naruto still had time to go to the pharmacy and clean the place up a bit.

Finally reaching his car, he unlocked the door and slipped into the driver’s seat.

 _Ugh_.

Regret sank in immediately as the pounding in his head worsened from that brief bout of physical activity. Why did he have to get sick _now_? Five days away from his birthday no less, when he was planning to get absolutely wasted at the club with his closest friends.

He quickly chugged down some water to soothe his sore throat and started up the car.

First stop was the convenience store; it was very unlikely he and Shikamaru had any cold or flu medicine left in the cabinets (that wasn’t expired). And since he was already making the trip, he might as well pick up some food, just in case plans fell through.

Now that he thought about it, he was really hungry…

After walking an inhumane number of stairs up to his floor, Naruto breathed out a massive sigh of relief at the sight of his apartment. He ambled his way to the door, lugging the bag of medicine and snacks as if they weighed fifty pounds instead of five.

He paused when he got closer, slowly processing the bags of takeout sitting next to the door. Quickly crouching down, he hovered a hand over a bag and found that it was still warm. Naruto looked around frantically for a head of dark, oddly spiky hair and felt his stomach drop in disappointment at the absence of it.

Sasuke already came by and left. Did Naruto get home too late? Looking at the display on his phone, he noted he was still within the hour timeframe.

 _Ugh, I thought I’d be able to see him today!_ If only he got home faster, Naruto grumbled with a frustrated pout.

 _Although…_ he peeled off a note stuck onto one of the takeout bags, slight frown quickly morphing into an affectionate grin.

> _Thought it’d be a nice change from instant ramen. Go to sleep earlier and take care of yourself, idiot. -S_

_Sasuke dropped this off himself. Sasuke made the trip to a restaurant in Shinjuku during rush hour to buy dinner for me._ Naruto was grinning so widely his cheeks hurt. He flushed at the revelations, the warmth in his chest expanding and fit to burst. Eagerly, he pulled out the keys from his pocket and shoved the correct one into the lock.

Once inside, he placed the bags on the kitchen counter and washed his hands at the sink. Forgoing sorting the snacks and medicine he bought, Naruto delved straight into the dinner Sasuke bought for him.

It was a _full-course meal._

The restaurant was popular for their fusion-style comfort foods, and Sasuke had somehow managed to pick out his favourite soup from the place! He also got their Shepherd’s pie—with mashed potatoes infused in a Japanese-style beef broth and sprinkled lightly with _shichimi togarashi_ and black sesame seeds. After Naruto pretty much inhaled the food, he took out his phone and snapped a selfie with the empty boxes and sent it to Sasuke.

_

**Naruto (sent 18:21)**

_[Image attached – Naruto posing with a huge grin and peace sign]_

THANK YOU FOR THE MEAL（*´▽｀*）♡

YOU BOUGHT ME MY FAVOURITE SOUP I THINK WE SHOULD GET MARRIED

_

He busied himself with sorting the garbage, wiping down the counter, and putting away the snacks while he waited for the reply to come. His texts were quite cheeky—Naruto idly wondered if it would be too much for Sasuke?

A few minutes later, his phone dinged with a notification.

_

**Sasuke (sent 18:28)**

Hm. Shouldn’t we date first?

_

Naruto snickered (and squealed internally), waiting a few moments before typing his response.

_

**Naruto (sent 18:29)**

well it’s not easy for an artist like myself to schedule a date with such a busy and successful man like yourself

might as well secure the bag first ;)

**Sasuke (sent 18:29)**

You say that as if you’re not a world-famous violinist going on tour in a month

**Naruto (sent 18:29)**

yea but

**Sasuke (sent 18:29)**

I’ll be back in Tokyo Friday morning for work

Might be a bit tired afterwards, but otherwise I'm free

**Naruto (sent 18:30)**

_[eyes emoji]_ are you suggesting we meet up for dinner?

this time will be my treat!

**Sasuke (sent 18:30)**

Recover from your cold first, I don’t want your germs on me

**Naruto (sent 18:30)**

and how would I spread my germs onto you ;)))

**Sasuke (sent 18:30)**

By breathing in my vicinity, dumbass

**Naruto (sent 18:31)**

damn that’s cold

is that why you left without saying hi _[puppy dog eyes emoji]_

**Sasuke (sent 18:31)**

No

I was summoned to a family dinner

**Naruto (sent 18:32)**

oh!

are you at the dinner table then?!

why are you texting me! eat your dinner!!

**Sasuke (sent 18:33)**

Calm down. We’re eating in a bit

**Naruto (sent 18:33)**

oh okay

is Itachi there? say hi to him for me!

**Sasuke (sent 18:33)**

I’d rather not

**Naruto (sent 18:33)**

whattt

such a heartless bastard (o´д`o)=３

**Sasuke (sent 18:34)**

Heartless bastard, huh?

I guess we shouldn’t go on that date after all, since I apparently don’t have a heart

**Naruto (sent 18:34)**

NOOOOO I wanna go!! let’s go!!

I’ll try my best to recover fully by then!!

**Sasuke (sent 18:35)**

Mm. I’ll pick you up at 7 then

___

_YES!_ He pumped his fist in the air with a gleeful shout that echoed through the empty apartment.

_

**Naruto (sent 18:36)**

sounds like a plan (ﾉ∀＼*)

_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts??? next up will be the first date, how do you think it's gonna go?
> 
> thanks for tuning in, hope you liked this chapter <3
> 
> (also, idk if anyone's noticed but for those of you who read this fic before 08/18/2020 and are wondering where the fuck sasuke's cat went - i literally forgot about her. I know, unforgivable. so! ive made a minor change to chapter 1 and all you need to know now is that sasuke's bb is staying with his parents until further notice. thank you for ur time)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they are: going on a date ! 
> 
> here are 3000 words of SAP asdfjakl it was v exciting to write out the FeelingsTM and i think i'm quite proud of how it turned out? so have this fluff, it really made my teeth ache
> 
> playlist for this chapter:
> 
> [still into you](https://open.spotify.com/track/1yjY7rpaAQvKwpdUliHx0d?si=OOZgv7DkQWOFDZg9dJ0V5Q) \- paramore  
> [cautious](https://open.spotify.com/track/4N2PJVdpgJAm67voMwv3pC?si=dRtL626SQbazJ0xNfFusjA) \- emarosa  
> [just friends](https://open.spotify.com/track/02Ygu8lo3qSknRpcBnspso?si=de3xSWVMSgShJDTKzBDPSQ) \- virginia to vegas  
> [some](https://open.spotify.com/track/0g1AmSKokPboFrxmG1dxKx?si=1JQmJIo4SUyz92bDvVPD5g) \- soyou & junggigo (ft. geeks lil boi)

It was Friday night, and Sasuke adjusted his bangs for the tenth time since his hair had dried.

He took a shower after getting back to his apartment, hoping the stream of hot water could beat out the fatigue from his shoulders and back muscles. While it definitely washed away any dirt on his skin, Sasuke could still feel his eyelids drooping from exhaustion after the early flight this morning and the work meetings all afternoon.

Finally feeling satisfied with the way his hair framed his face (although there was no way of controlling whatever the fuck was going on in the back—there never was), Sasuke idly played with the square black studs in his ears as he examined his outfit.

He was wearing something casual tonight: a knitted navy turtleneck with a charcoal grey overcoat, ripped black jeans, and leather combat boots. All dark colours, so you couldn’t tell if they got splattered with sauce and oil.

(He slipped a stain removal pen into his pocket just in case.)

Skimming a hand down his sleeves to press out any wrinkles left in the wool fabric, he looked himself over in the mirror one last time before turning off the bathroom lights and heading out.

It had been a while since his last date. Pretty much since he took up the position at Uchiha Hotels & Resorts, more than a year ago.

Sasuke was no longer a university student; could no longer afford to pull all-nighters for papers just so he could go clubbing with his friends over the weekend. He was busy with work now—busy being an _adult—_ and with the initial onboarding and all the projects shoved into his hands throughout the year, Sasuke could barely even scrape together time for himself.

He also hadn’t met anyone who piqued his interest.

While some people he crossed paths with were attractive, Sasuke held no intention of seeing them again after one or two nights together.

He was still busy as hell, but he found himself wanting to _make_ time for Naruto. Like what he was doing now: driving across the city to meet his date when he should be passing the fuck out after a busy week of work.

They agreed on a BBQ restaurant near Naruto’s place in Shinjuku that was slightly pricey but boasted good value and a 4.3-star rating. Sasuke still offered to pick him up, but Naruto refused, saying he could walk to the place in less than ten minutes.

Which was well enough; Sasuke wasn’t sure if the two-minute car ride there wouldn’t be awkward. It certainly sounded a bit anticlimactic.

He was almost there now, the twenty-minute drive passing quickly as his mind raced. Sasuke’s skin prickled with nerves, but more than that he was just _excited_ to see the blond again.

It still felt a little unreal, that he was going on a date with the guy whose YouTube covers he binge-watched in one sitting, driven by a fervour only _slightly_ blamable on tipsiness. How the hell did he get here?

He wondered what was going to happen now that they were meeting; after two weeks of shamelessly toeing the line between friends and something _more_ , Sasuke wasn’t sure he could mask the frankly embarrassing fondness he felt for the other boy. It was easy enough to hide behind a phone screen, where he could pretend the little heart emojis didn’t cause his heart to flutter. Pretend that he wasn’t waiting on each new message with bated breath.

God, he was such a fucking sap.

But this was the person who more or less plagued his mind since the end of August, nearly two months ago; someone who caught his attention and then made it impossible to look away; someone whose radiance was like the sun, with Sasuke unwittingly caught in its orbit.

So yes, Sasuke was nervous—how could he not be?

Sasuke circled the extremely full parking lot for several minutes before he noticed someone pulling out of their stall. Patting his pockets to make sure his wallet and phone didn’t slip out onto the driver’s seat, Sasuke locked the car and made his way into the restaurant, keeping an eye out for blond hair and blue eyes.

 _There_ , he spotted the other boy at the front of the line.

He was still a few minutes early. So naturally, Sasuke took a moment to check him out.

Unlike the garish outfits seen on Naruto’s Instagram, the blond dressed in muted colours today. And Sasuke very much appreciated the look.

Naruto wore a light grey hoodie underneath his oversized denim jacket, looking soft and cozy while slouched on the lounge chair. His long, lean legs were stretched out in front of him, donned in black skinny jeans and chunky white sneakers. Over his very fluffy-looking blond hair was an orange beanie—because of course, the guy had to have orange _somewhere_ on his person, at all times.

He seemed to be playing a game on his phone, biting down on his lower lip in concentration and then pouting when he made a shitty move or something. Completely immersed, paying no attention to his surroundings.

_Cute._

Deciding to make his presence known to the blond, Sasuke walked over to where he was sitting. “Hey.”

Startled at the sudden appearance of someone in front of him, Naruto looked up in surprise. His parted lips quickly morphed into a brilliant grin.

“Sasuke!”

He sat down in the empty seat beside Naruto. “Did you wait long?”

“Nah, I just got here a few minutes ago. They’ll call us in soon, I think.” Naruto was still smiling at him. “How was work today?”

“Draining.” Sasuke rested his head back against the chair, immediately noticing the hint of uncertainty lining Naruto’s features at his response. “But this will help me relax,” he amended.

Sasuke was the one who opted for tonight despite knowing he was going to feel dead on his feet after work, so Naruto shouldn’t feel guilty. If anything, just seeing him for the first time in weeks lifted Sasuke’s mood already, taking some of the fatigue away from his mind.

He relaxed again, as the cheer returned to Naruto’s face.

“Uzumaki for two?” The front server called out.

“Oh! That’s us.” Naruto stood up from his seat to meet the front server, with Sasuke following closely.

The restaurant was completely packed—which was to be expected, since it was a Friday night. It was a good thing they got reservations earlier in the week, else they would've had to wait an hour for an open table. Sasuke’s never been here before, but according to his date this place was one of the best BBQ restaurants in Tokyo. Sasuke wasn’t sure he could believe that statement, coming from someone whose idea of a peak dining experience was _Ichiraku Ramen_ , but the long line of customers seemed to indicate Naruto was onto something.

The interior of the restaurant had a classy, traditional design. Low hanging lights and stone walkways led the path to private rooms in the back, where sliding screen doors revealed Classic artworks, tatami flooring, and low tables made of stone. They both agreed beforehand that private dining was unnecessary, so the front server led them to a table between a family of four and an elderly couple on a date.

After sliding into their seats at the _horigotatsu_ , Sasuke leisurely stretched his legs out beneath the low, stone table. Immediately, his legs felt warmer from the heat radiating above the sunken floor and he let out a pleased sigh. Forgoing useless small talk, they quickly got to work ordering food, mouths watering and stomachs already growling. The savoury aroma of grilled Kobe beef and enoki mushrooms permeated the air, and Sasuke could tell Naruto was near trembling with hunger and anticipation.

They bickered lightly about which set to purchase and chose non-liquor drinks (since Sasuke had to drive home and Naruto didn’t want to drink alone). Then, once the waitress took their orders and left, Naruto turned to Sasuke with a grin on his face.

“See, I’m all good now—I recover fast!”

Sasuke smirked. “I’m sure you were in a hurry to get better before tomorrow. Didn’t wanna get drunk off your ass with a lingering cold right?”

“Well, I didn’t wanna get you sick either!” Naruto pointed a rude finger to his face. “You’re so old and stressed all the time, your immune system’s probably shot.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you turning the same age as me tomorrow?”

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest with a haughty grin. “Yeah, but at least I have work-life balance.”

“You mean you like slacking off?”

“ _Tch_ , no! Work-life balance is important, Sasuke. Next time I’m taking you to all the fun places around here!”

The statement registered in Sasuke’s mind at the same time it did in Naruto’s, apparently, because he flushed very darkly and looked down at his tea in embarrassment.

Taking the opportunity to tease, Sasuke leaned closer with a smirk. “Already planning our next date, Naruto? Are you that eager to see me again?”

“S-shut up! I’m just offering to help, since you’re so out-of-touch with the modern world!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. “I can _assure_ you I know my way around.”

And from there, they settled into comfortable banter. Naruto talked the way he texted—with lots, and lots of exclamation points. He was excitable, expressive, and very easy to tease. So different from Sasuke, who most people would describe as cold, impassive, never losing composure.

Naruto’s hands gestured wildly as he narrated story after story, breathing life into all his little anecdotes. And Sasuke listened intently to each one, unable to help the fond smile on his lips.

Their food arrived soon after, and Sasuke laid the ingredients out on the grill as Naruto continued his recounting of the time some kid with anger issues tried to whoop his ass during a junior high soccer game ( _we became best friends after, though!_ Naruto added cheerfully).

Despite already digging into the appetizers, Naruto was evidently distracted by the sizzling meat, pausing in the middle of his sentences to stare hungrily at the grill.

Sasuke hid his laugh with a cough.

“I think it’s done,” he said, placing several pieces in Naruto’s plate and a few in his own as he waited for the rest to cook. The blond visibly brightened, giving Sasuke a blinding smile before stuffing his cheeks with food.

“Thanks, Sasuke!” Naruto exclaimed.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

Soon, they settled into a rhythm—of Sasuke cooking while eating, and Naruto sneakily swiping pieces off the grill (and Sasuke’s plate).

They talked about their respective university and work experiences, ranging from incompetent classmates and moody coworkers to short- and long-term career goals. After hearing Naruto’s worries for the future, Sasuke decided to confide in him about his own family pressures and ambiguous career plans. To his surprise, Naruto hung onto every word, offered insightful input on how he himself tried to separate his industry reputation from the legacy of his father, and genuinely wanted to learn about the kind of work Sasuke aspired to do with software engineering.

Naruto knew when to joke and when to be serious, and Sasuke found it easy— _fun—_ to talk to him about anything and everything.

Before he knew it, nearly two hours had flown by, and he didn’t want the night to end.

With each minute spent listening to Naruto’s animated ramblings, his indignant squawks of offense at some harmless teasing, and his unabashed laughter at his own stupid jokes, the deeper Sasuke discovered his feelings ran.

Maybe it was too soon for him to feel this way. Sasuke’s only seen him in person four times before today, only actually _known_ him for about two weeks—through text messages no less—and has only been on _one_ fucking date with the guy.

Yet at this point it seemed unstoppable, inevitable, that he would grow so fond of the boy he first saw playing violin at the fundraiser he got dragged to.

It was scary. Really scary, actually.

But with some strange, boundless source of courage, he decided to take the plunge.

So Sasuke admitted it to himself, right then and there at a BBQ restaurant in Shinjuku, where Naruto had offered to take over the grill but forgot to flip the ingredients while telling a story, where he had scraped five burnt and unrecognisable pieces of char off the grill with a dopey, sheepish grin—

he was falling in love.

-x-

The ride to his apartment was, as Naruto mentioned to Sasuke already, only two minutes long. He definitely wasn’t complaining though, since this meant spending more time together.

And Naruto _really_ liked spending time with Sasuke.

He also wasn’t oblivious to the way Sasuke’s smile sometimes turned soft and indulgent when aimed towards him, or the way his gaze flickered down ever so slightly when he licked his lips. Between the easy conversation and sneaked glances, it was easy for Naruto to see that this _thing_ between them could really be going somewhere.

Once they arrived outside his apartment, Naruto got out of the sleek black Mercedes and immediately felt the October wind ruffling his hair and chilling his bones. The months passed by way too quickly, if you asked him, and he had a hard time believing he was turning _24_ the next day.

Still shivering slightly, he noticed Sasuke circling around the car and leaned back against the car door when the other man came to a stop in front of him.

Even just standing, Sasuke looked effortlessly cool. With his hands in his pockets, face tilted back to show off that sharp jawline, his smooth hair swept away from his cheeks and blowing gently in the wind—the guy really was fucking attractive.

And with so little space between them, Naruto could almost taste the heat radiating off his body.

Without a word, he reached forward to grasp the lapel of Sasuke’s overcoat and pulled him closer, all the while keeping his eyes trained on Sasuke’s.

There was no hesitation or uncertainty in those dark eyes as Sasuke stepped closer, their knees touching. The steady palm sliding along his arm and moving to hold his waist felt like a firebrand, regardless of the layers separating skin from skin. And Naruto _burned_.

_God, I wanna kiss him._

There was no misinterpreting the intent behind that heated gaze or the tension humming in the air between their bodies. As warmth curled and spread across Naruto’s abdomen, he unconsciously shifted his legs to make space for Sasuke to come closer—

And come closer he did.

Lean legs pressed against his inner thighs. Sasuke propped his right hand against the hood of his car and shifted until their faces were mere centimetres apart, warm breaths forming clouds in the night air and fanning across Naruto’s tingling lips. They were close enough for Naruto to appreciate the curve of Sasuke’s lashes when he looked down, gaze heavy-lidded and fixated on his mouth.

“What’re you waitin’ for?” He whispered a little impatiently, "Kiss me."

Sasuke smirked and kissed the tip of his nose. “So bossy.”

Naruto delivered a soft smack to Sasuke’s chest, pulling him closer with a wobbly frown. “You’re a cheeky asshole.”

“You like me though.”

“Yeah.”

They leaned in at the same time. Sasuke’s lips were slightly chapped from the cold but still soft and warm against Naruto’s. He tasted like buckwheat tea and complimentary mint candy, cool and bittersweet, and Naruto wanted _more_.

Putting his arms around Sasuke’s neck, Naruto threaded his fingers into windswept hair and fitted their mouths together at a better angle. _Unbelievably soft_ , he thought as he played with the silky black strands at the base of Sasuke’s neck, pulled the lower lip gently between his teeth. Before he could think twice about it, Naruto parted his lips to give an experimental swipe of his tongue.

Sasuke hummed appreciatively into his mouth—the sound and vibrations sending pleasant shivers down Naruto’s spine and causing his toes to curl in satisfaction. A broad palm splayed across the small of his back, rubbing smoothly before pulling his hips forward to meet the other’s. Naruto’s breath hitched, the feeling of being pressed together causing him to tug a little too hard on Sasuke’s hair, eliciting a shaky breath from the man as they melded their lips together.

His whole body thrummed with the kiss, open-mouthed yet tender, and every point of contact between their bodies threatened to overwhelm his senses.

But eventually the need for oxygen took over, and Naruto pulled away. He felt a delighted tickle in his stomach when Sasuke tipped forward to chase his lips, and delivered placating little kisses to his mouth, cheeks, and nose—fingers still smoothing over Sasuke’s hair.

Naruto took a moment to catch his breath.

He could have said something like _wow_ or _that was fucking amazing_ (all 100% accurate), but he eventually settled on, “You know, you really were an asshole when we first met.”

Still looking a little dazed and breathless, Sasuke raised a single eyebrow in question—a signal for him to continue.

Naruto’s lips curled in amusement; arms still latched around Sasuke’s neck. “I mean, look at you now! Buying me food when I’m sick and driving me home even though it’s just a ten-minute walk. Kissing me outside my apartment.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in response, but Naruto could see the light blush painting those chiseled cheekbones pink. His smile turned playful as he leaned in again.

“Hey, hey, Sasuke. Do you have a _crush_ on me?”

The man in question rolled his eyes. “What are you, 12?”

“Answer the question!” He prodded with an impish grin.

Sasuke released the arm around his waist and turned away with an exasperated huff, slowly walking back towards the driver’s side. “No, I don’t, you idiot.”

“What, so you just go around kissing guys you don’t like?”

“You’re so annoying.”

“And you’re a prick!” Naruto quipped back.

“I’m leaving now. Good night.” With a vague wave of his hand, Sasuke opened the car door and slipped into the driver’s seat.

Naruto snorted, entertained by the embarrassed flush on Sasuke’s cheeks (matching his own). “Okay, get home safe!”

“Mhm.”

And with that, he turned around to head home; heart soaring the entire walk up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts on the date and kiss??? i've been writing too much sweet stuff lately and it seems like my blood pressure might start suffering the consequences so... *hints at approaching emotional hurt/comfort scenes that i have not yet written*
> 
> (note: i'll be dealing with some family stuff for the next two weeks so chapter 7 will be a bit late. also this fic will very likely be extended beyond 9 chapters. lol @ my shitty planning)
> 
> anywho, thanks for reading! kudos and comments are always appreciated <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [sneaks onto ao3 to post the chapter after naruto's bday] HAPPY BIRTHDAY KING!!
> 
> HELLO AGAIN ugh sorry this is so late - life and online education really kicked me in the ass. thank you for reading this and if you're following updates: ily ( ˘ ³˘)♥!! this chapter is longer than the other ones (nearly 4.5k!! i admit, it got a little outta hand) and there's a little crack, a little fluff. also, things get mildly spicy? kinda?
> 
> anyways, hope y'all like it!!
> 
> ( **warning:** mentions of cheating by an ex)
> 
> playlist for this chapter:
> 
> [hit my phone](https://open.spotify.com/track/6DxQb1QXBymgaMBZJujxV2?si=EBU4f8-0T0Kw1Dr2uJ3Few) \- megan thee stallion (ft. kehlani)  
> [jazz bar](https://open.spotify.com/track/4dIZBPtKfOvo8YuundgcwH?si=tLex27DMSI2SKo6oJmjffQ) \- dreamcatcher  
> [i wanna be yours](https://open.spotify.com/track/7fF6u8BlXiA3bJKDuJMKRR?si=2c9Bhp1DRIS1Z6cXnbiZ4g) \- pink sweat$, crush

“Can you move _any_ slower? You’re gonna be late to your own party.” Shikamaru grumbled from his slouched position at the door.

“I’m almost done, I swear! Think my hair looks better with the spikes up? Or like, flatter?”

“Does it really matter? Still looks messy as fuck.”

“Wha—” Naruto poked his head out of the bathroom and glared accusingly at his roommate’s pineapple-shaped head. “Not like _your_ hair’s much better.”

From the lack of response, Shikamaru seemed to have decided ignoring him was the easier option. Rude.

He grumbled as such, turning back to the mirror. If all his friends were going to take commemorative photos at the venue to post as thirst traps, Naruto would have to look his absolute best. He’s got someone to impress now, after all.

After applying the finishing touches to his appearance, Naruto switched off the lights and swept out of the bathroom. With a heavy arm slung across his friend’s shoulders, Naruto punched him lightly in the gut, “Look at you, so impatient. That excited to see Gaara’s sister again? Wash the dishes for a week and I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Shikamaru shoved Naruto’s arm off his shoulders, ignoring the fake wounded look in response. “Just get your ass out the door. People are waiting.”

“Hey, now~” Naruto joined him outside their apartment, locking up the door with a smug little smirk. “S’about time we had a heart-to-heart, from one bro to another.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, scoffing as they walked down the stairs and towards the club. “Worry about your own shit. Don’t think I didn’t notice the stupid way you grin at your phone these days. You’re seeing someone, aren’t you.”

Memories of last night’s date came to mind and without permission, a flush rose to Naruto’s cheeks.

“Is it that dude you wrote songs about?”

Naruto froze mid-step, turning to gawk at his friend, who looked back with a small smirk on his lips.

“It’s him, isn’t it.”

“What- how the hell did you know?!”

“Just a hunch,” although the smug, self-satisfied look on his face suggested otherwise.

To think he’d wanted to hide his tentative relationship from Shikamaru, the most perceptive out of all his friends.

“Ugh, alright, yes- kinda. We’ve only been on one date so far.”

Shikamaru hummed.

Naruto looked over suspiciously, “That’s it? No smartass commentary?”

His best friend glanced back at him, gaze searching across his features and making Naruto sweat under the scrutiny. If he weren’t already living his dream as a professional Go player, Shikamaru would have made a pretty excellent therapist, Naruto thought warily. The man had the unique ability of seeing past his defenses, making Naruto feel like… like a chopped onion—naked, with all his layers exposed.

After the nerve-wracking silence, Shikamaru shrugged and looked back ahead. “What do you want me to tell you? ‘Don’t date an asshole’? Not really my place to say. And you always look happier when you’re talking to him—I think that’s what matters most.”

He didn’t quite expect this level of sincerity from his friend, but he supposed he should have known. Despite his seemingly careless attitude, Shikamaru really did want the best for him.

Naruto tackled him in a side hug.

“Aww! Shicchan, you _do_ care about me!” he joked, squeezing his friend’s shoulders affectionately.

Shikamaru’s face contorted with disgust at the familiar but outgrown nickname Naruto had given him back in kindergarten. But he didn’t shake the arm off or deny the statement. Which counted as a win, in Naruto’s books!

“ _Please_ never call me that again.”

“But Shicchan sounds so cute! Bet Temari would love it.”

“That troublesome woman would never let me live it down.”

“Exactly!”

They continued towards the nightclub, illuminated by glowing streetlamps and neon restaurant signs. Random tidbits of conversation drifted past as they walked, the autumn leaves crunching underfoot and wind blowing in sharp gusts. And messing up Naruto’s painstakingly styled hair, to his dismay.

Their conversation topic remained the same, with Naruto teasing his friend over his obvious infatuation with the older girl—“how long has it been, five years since y'all met at my Christmas party and you still haven’t said shit?”—but also getting teased for writing songs about Sasuke after a single meeting.

Not even a meeting, Naruto revealed by mistake, but five seconds of eye contact.

“That is the stupidest cliché I’ve ever heard but somehow, I see it happening to you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It means congrats, you seem to have found a muse.”

Naruto rubbed his chin in contemplation. _A muse, huh…_ His pursed his lips to tamp down a dorky grin. Having a “muse” sounded pretty awesome, actually. Like something out of a shoujo manga or a French romance novel—his mom loved to read those!

Shikamaru caught the happy wobble of his mouth and sighed deeply into the cold air. Probably wondering how someone as cynical as himself ended up being friends with a romantic like Naruto.

“But—if he ever tries to hurt you, expect to find several fists swinging at his face.”

Cackling with laughter, Naruto prodded a finger at his friend’s shoulder. “You gonna punch him for me, Shikamaru?”

“Me, along with all your friends in Japan. It’d be catharsis, since we didn’t get to beat up the previous guy- that asshole’s lucky he lives in America.”

Naruto winced at the mention of his ex, and the sore memories it stirred up still, nearly two years later.

See, Naruto had the tendency to get attached easily, to offer his heart too willingly to others. And he somehow always picked the ones who _weren’t_ willing to commit to an exclusive, long-term relationship.

Before, getting dumped for having a busy, irregular schedule sucked; it wasn’t as if he didn’t make this aspect of his life crystal clear since the very first date. He just thought this guy would be different.

Naruto really did love him. They’d been dating for seven months, and he thought things were going well. He’d been secretly preparing for the New York Philharmonic audition as a surprise too, hoping to stay in the city and be closer to where the man was set to work after graduation.

Then, when he returned to the States from a two-week international competition, his closest friend in New York sent him a cryptic message asking to meet at a café. Fidgeting nervously with her cup and barely meeting his eyes, she told Naruto what she saw.

She said didn’t want to drop the news while Naruto was in Germany, but she also didn’t want him to continue dating the guy while kept in the dark about his infidelity.

Furious and hurt, Naruto confronted him about it immediately. His ex had gotten pissed off and defensive before blaming it all on him “never being there anymore.”

And wasn’t that just a fucking shitty thing to hear.

Even knowing that it was the asshole’s fault for betraying his trust, Naruto couldn’t help but feel, deep down, as if the root cause of all this was himself. It wasn’t the first time his busy schedule and career focus became issues in his relationships, but he accepted it long ago. He just thought that maybe this time, things would be different—that the other man would understand.

With his final composition projects and graduation recital coming up in three weeks, he had no energy to deal with his failed relationship. So, he shoved the breakup into the far recesses of his mind and put all his effort into making the last month of his degree meaningful. He worked his ass off for this shit, so he was _going_ to impress talent agents and get those record deals; he was _not_ throwing his future away.

It was what he repeated to himself at night, when the bed felt too chilly without a warm body cradled in his arms. When the absence of another heartbeat against his chest reminded him of all the things he couldn’t have.

Now, Naruto turned to look at Shikamaru, seeing the unspoken question in his sharp-eyed gaze. He gave a small, genuine smile, appreciating his friend’s concern.

“Thanks, man. I know you’ve all got my back.”

He faced forward again, injecting cheer back into his voice. “And I’m over it now! I've got better things in my life now.”

Shikamaru snorted, taking the cue to move on. “Still think a knee to the balls would have been perfectly reasonable.”

The mood passed quickly; melancholic feelings shoved to the back of his mind. By the time they arrived at the venue, Naruto’s easy, raucous laughter was echoing above the bustle of tipsy conversations at the door, and he’s never felt luckier. It was his birthday today, and he was going to spend it with the greatest friends in the world.

Nothing could go wrong.

-x-

Sasuke was curled up on the couch with Aoi, his baby Calico, when his phone rang out from its position on the coffee table.

He forgot to put it on silent.

For a moment, he merely stared at the device from his comfortable slump on the couch and prayed that it wasn’t an issue with work. Sasuke just wanted a nice, quiet night in with his cat, who he’d brought home only two hours ago after dinner with his parents. He hadn’t seen her since before his work trip, and he’d missed her terribly.

If it was a work call, Sasuke would have to _murder_ the person responsible.

Groaning irritably, he paused the show he was currently streaming and stretched forward to grasp at the device. Aoi rumbled unhappily at the loss of her pillow (Sasuke’s chest), and he stroked the tri-colour fur lightly as an apology, squinting at the brightness of his screen.

He frowned. _Naruto?_

Wasn’t he supposed to be partying with his friends? Why was he calling Sasuke?

He accepted the call.

Immediately, loud electronic music and a pounding bass blasted through the speakers, and Sasuke lifted his phone away from his ear with a grimace. There was a persistent, rustling noise, the phone evidently suffering constant movement while the caller himself showed no signs of acknowledgement. Boisterous, drunken laughter could be heard amidst the ruckus, someone yelling, _“Hell yeah, Naruto, shake that ass!”_ with an echoing chorus of whoops in the background. Then, more rustling sounds.

Nothing else but the vigorous, crackling sound of fabric scraping against the speakers.

What the _fuck_ was happening.

Before he could hang up and save them both from further humiliation (how drunk was Naruto?), a familiar voice interrupted the noise, loud and clear.

 _“Sasuke?! Why’d you call me?”_ Naruto yelled above the music.

He scoffed. “Are you drunk? _You_ called _me_.”

There was no response for a moment, only the escalating tune of an EDM bridge and reverberating bass on the other side of the line. _Did he not hear me?_

“Naruto?”

Then, as abruptly as the call came, Naruto hung up on him.

Sasuke stared at the screen of his phone, speechless.

-x-

Naruto had jinxed himself.

“This was a mistake.”

He had his head in his hands, slumped forward in his seat with humiliation. A few meters away from their table, Kiba howled with laughter.

“Oh my god, holy shit! H-he butt dialed his date!”

Sakura, after finally regaining some composure, lost it again.

“If he still wants to be with you after this, then he must really like you!” Lee offered with a shake of two encouraging fists. Gaara nodded sagely.

“Yeah man, never let him go,” Kiba added, wiping away a stray tear.

“Shut up, I hate you all!” Naruto shrieked in mortification.

Shikamaru shrugged. “I _did_ offer to hold your phone.”

“G-guys, I think he’s plenty embarrassed…”

“No, no, Hinata, he had this coming,” Kiba interjected, “I’ve been waiting _years_ for this bitch to slip up.”

“Can I proposition him once he ghosts you?”

“What… no- _hell_ no. Stay away from him, Sai.”

“What about me!”

Shikamaru side eyed the drunk blonde. “Ino, the man is gay.”

Sakura whacked the back of her girlfriend’s head. “And just in case you forgot, you’re dating _me_. Stay in your lane, woman.”

“Oh, boo~”

Perhaps an act of homicide would be justified here, Naruto groused. His friends _suck_.

“You assholes, it’s my birthday!” He whined petulantly. “Buy me drinks so I can pass out and forget this shit ever happened!”

Temari chuckled from her seat next to Shikamaru. “Oh, Naruto. You forget how high your tolerance is. And how poor most of us are.”

“Well, can we at least try? Or, you know what- Lee, come here and punch me in the face.”

“Okay!”

“No one’s punching anybody in the face tonight,” Shikamaru interjected with a tired expression.

“It’d be pretty funny if someone did,” Sai commented, calmly examining his nails.

Sakura, always his saving grace, finally spoke up again from her seat on Ino’s lap. “Alright, alright. Birthday boy needs to get drunk enough to stop whining.”

“Next shot’s on me!”

“We must provide Naruto-kun a youthful distraction from his blunder!”

“Kiba-kun, let’s b-buy him a drink too.”

“Fine, fine.”

Heh. Maybe they weren’t so bad, after all.

Contrary to what his traitorous friends believed, Sasuke did not, in fact, ghost him afterwards.

When he returned home, drunk and happy and oblivious to the world, he stripped and passed right out on his bed, phone notifications be damned. The next morning, when he woke up with only a slight hangover—bless his mom for his alcohol tolerance—two messages sat in his inbox.

-

**Sasuke (sent 00:23)**

Naruto

**Sasuke (sent 00:29)**

Did you just call me with your ass??

_

_Fuck._

Last-ditch effort to save his dignity.

-

**Naruto (sent 11:02)**

I have no idea what you’re talking about

**Sasuke (sent 11:10)**

You’re embarrassing.

**Naruto (sent 11:10)**

SHUT UP YOU ASSHOLE ASDFKLJA

**Sasuke (sent 11:10)**

What are you doing today?

**Naruto (sent 11:11)**

(≖_≖ )

why do you ask…

**Sasuke (sent 11:11)**

You free for coffee? I’ve been meaning to try something from your café.

**Naruto (sent 11:11)**

!!!!!!

just so you’re aware

i haven’t forgotten what you said about my latte art

**Sasuke (sent 11:12)**

Lol

**Naruto (sent 11:12)**

like, are you always that rude to baristas?? would NOT be surprised if someone spat in your drink before

**Sasuke (sent 11:12)**

Nope, just you.

Normally I’m quite polite :)

**Naruto (sent 11:12)**

fucking bastard

alright

actually do you mind meeting later tonight? like around 9? we close at 10:30, so there’ll be less people around then as well

**Sasuke (sent 11:13)**

Sounds good

_

-x-

When Sasuke arrived at the coffeehouse, Naruto was already standing outside the door, looking soft and cozy in his bright orange puffer jacket and black jeans. Kinda like a cute pumpkin.

His lips curled up into a smirk. “All dressed up for Halloween?”

Naruto, already used to his teasing, shoved him in the shoulder with a grin and quipped back, “Shut it, bastard! It’s called fashion.”

Sasuke raised his hands up innocently. “Somehow you manage to pull off highlighter orange.” Then in a brave, impulsive move, he leaned in to press a brief kiss on Naruto’s windblown cheek. He pulled back to smile. “I like it.”

A soft blush painted Naruto’s cheekbones pink as he peeked over at Sasuke, his smile shy and pleasant. The blond reached down to squeeze Sasuke’s fingers lightly before turning around to open the door. “Alright, let’s go in!”

With a hum of agreement, Sasuke followed Naruto inside, lips and fingers still tingling from the contact.

There were less people tonight, only a few students working on their laptops and an elderly woman reading a book at her table. The two employees at the counter waved enthusiastically at Naruto, while eyeing Sasuke with open curiosity. The blond waved back with a, “Yo, Konohamaru! Moegi!” and ignored their intent stares, leading Sasuke to an empty table near the back. Once seated, Naruto handed him a small menu from the basket at the counter and said, “Pick a few desserts and stuff to try first! I’ll be right back to make the drink.”

“Sure.”

Naruto bounced away to the kitchen behind the counter, and sure enough, emerged a minute later with the café’s green apron over his yellow t-shirt. He chatted with the other employees for a moment, smile so bright and blinding that Sasuke had to drag his gaze back down to the menu.

In the end, he picked whatever sounded the least sweet—a mango _mushi-pan_ —and went up to the counter to order.

“Hi there! How can I help you tonight?” Naruto grinned from his place at the register.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the act, telling the blond his choice.

“Not gonna try the matcha mille crepe cake? That’s our house specialty!”

“Hm, no, I’m not that into sweets.”

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. “Duly noted. And your drink?”

“I’ll get a _hōjicha_ latte.”

“Any special design requests?”

Sasuke smirked. “Surprise me.”

Naruto snickered eagerly as Sasuke paid for his order, and once Sasuke returned to his seat at the table, he observed the blond’s practiced, smooth movements in handling the machines and pitchers. The focused look on Naruto’s face as he skillfully poured steamed milk into the ceramic cup was similar to his expression moments before the first note of each violin performance. Usual Naruto was charming in his cheerfulness and spontaneity, but Focused Naruto was captivating; silent and unwavering, and Sasuke didn’t dare look away.

Sasuke found that he really liked this diligent, thorough side of Naruto. The other man leaned back to evaluate his artwork, critical, tongue poking out from between his lips in concentration. And then, seemingly satisfied with the results, he straightened up with an adorable, giddy smile that rendered Sasuke’s heart utterly useless.

Who was he kidding? Sasuke liked _every_ side of Naruto.

The blond walked out slowly from behind the counter, the cup of latte balanced carefully atop a wooden tray. Sasuke was still gazing at him with an embarrassingly fond look on his face, until the man’s bright, raspy voice broke him out of his reverie.

“Alright- so, I was thinking about the things you liked, and suddenly got this idea! You sent me a picture before, so I had a reference too.”

He set the tray down on the table, and Sasuke was surprised to see a cutesy foam rendition of his cat, Aoi, on his _hōjicha_ latte. Holy _shit_ , the pattern of coloured fur on Aoi’s little face was captured almost perfectly too.

Naruto all but threw himself onto the seat opposite Sasuke’s, propping his elbows on the table and cupping his chin with both hands. An eager smile wobbled on his face, awaiting Sasuke’s assessment.

Sasuke wanted to _kiss_ him.

“Well? What d’ya think?!”

His lips were already open in surprise, but the corners lifted up into a smile at the bright-eyed, hopeful look on the blond’s face. “It’s really cute.”

Naruto blushed prettily with the praise, somehow managing to smile even brighter than before. “Well go on! Try it!”

Sasuke took a sip and sighed contentedly at the taste. It was the perfect mixture of tea and steamed milk, with the warm, roasted flavour of _hōjicha_ and light undertones of hazelnut and caramel melting on his tongue. He opened his eyes to tell Naruto, “This is really good.”

Looking extremely pleased with himself, the blond linked his fingers behind his head and leaned back in his chair. “Of course! We always purchase good quality tea stems and leaves!” Then, with a sniff, he nudged Sasuke’s left leg with a sneakered foot, “Now… you wanna retract a past statement?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes, “Yes, Naruto. I sincerely apologize for doubting your skills.”

“Nope, not enough. You gotta say it like this—” Naruto clasped his hands together with a sickeningly sweet look on his face, “—Naruto, you’re so amazing, this is the best drink I’ve ever had!”

Sasuke swiped at Naruto’s head, earning an indignant “Ow!” and a pout of soft, pink (kissable) lips. “I wouldn’t go _that_ far.”

“You suck.”

“Mn. How was your day?”

“… What’s with you and your super abrupt topic changes? You give me whiplash.”

Sasuke shrugged. “I like to get to the point.”

“Are you saying I talk too much??”

He took a sip of his very well-brewed latte, hiding a smile behind the brim of the cup. “You talk a lot, but not ‘too much’.”

Momentarily satisfied with the answer, Naruto leaned forward again to tell Sasuke about his day. About waking up late in the morning, having lunch with his parents, and meeting up with the Akatsuki to discuss album preparations. “I can’t tell you much, since I’m bound by contract,” he noted smugly.

Sasuke told Naruto about his weekend of doing absolutely nothing at home, with his cat, to which the blond expressed envy—then longing for his own cat, Kurama. Apparently, his roommate was allergic to cats and could only _barely_ tolerate Naruto’s pet toad, Gamatatsu, who croaked at random hours of the night and needed about twenty insect species to feed on. All of which were kept in a small freezer he bought _specially_ for the toad, Naruto cleared up frantically (“I’m not putting worms and shit next to my ice cream!”).

Sasuke shuddered at the idea of defrosting bugs to feed the toad and felt sympathy for Naruto’s roommate.

They talked until the café was about to close, after which Naruto offered to help the two teenagers—Konohamaru and Moegi, Sasuke recalled—with cleanup. Those two had been eyeing him and Naruto the entire night, failing so spectacularly at hiding their curious glances that it was amusing.

Now, after finishing up with cashier balancing, he and Naruto were shooed out from the back door in a poor attempt at subtlety—presumably to give them some ‘privacy’. Sasuke appreciated their efforts.

He’d been wanting to kiss the other man all night.

Not about to waste the opportunity, he pulled Naruto closer by the hem of his puffer jacket, feeling the warm puffs of air from the man’s mouth against his own lips. Naruto slid his hands up Sasuke’s chest and linked them behind his neck, tightening around his shoulders to pull him closer.

They leaned in at the same time, chilly noses pressed gently against smooth cheeks as the kiss began to deepen. Soft then insistent, pushing and pulling like tides. Sasuke wrapped his arm around Naruto’s waist, sliding his other hand up the broad back to rub gently between his shoulder blades and the blond muffled a pleased sigh at the movement. Sasuke couldn’t help wanting to hear it again and again.

He caressed the smooth skin at Naruto’s nape and breathed in another soft hum against his lips—tucking the sound deep into his chest. They were so close he could hear the rhythm of Naruto’s heart through layers of cotton and down; close enough to let Naruto feel Sasuke’s matching up perfectly.

When Naruto leaned down to press butterfly kisses against Sasuke’s jawline—moving up slowly, to the sensitive spot behind Sasuke’s ear—a small gasp escaped his lips, heat pooling in his abdomen, and he placed a hand on Naruto’s chest to stop them from continuing any further. “Wait.”

“Ah shit, sorry,” Naruto breathed out, backing away immediately—but Sasuke’s grip around his waist stayed firm.

“No, it’s fine, just… we’re still in the back alley behind your mother’s café,” he chuckled. “Next to the trashcans.”

Naruto blinked and looked around sheepishly, “Fuck, you’re right. I forgot about that.”

They stared at each other for a moment, reluctant to break the spell. Eventually, a grin bloomed on Naruto’s face. “Do you think the kids left yet?”

Sasuke snorted. “I _really_ hope they weren’t on the other side of the door.”

The blond grimaced, “Agreed. They’re well-intentioned kids, though! It’s the first time I brought a date to the café, so they’re curious.”

Sasuke smirked, teasing. “Oh? Am I your first, Naruto?”

The man rolled his eyes with a scoff, but a blush was visible on his cheeks, “You think too highly of yourself.”

“Hmm. What do _you_ think of me, then?” Sasuke prodded, leaning into Naruto’s space.

The blond shoved his face away, “Ugh, I’m not telling you! Now can we get outta here? After you pointed it out, I can’t stop smelling garbage.”

“Sure, sure.”

Sasuke bumped his shoulder against Naruto’s as they walked in the direction of the parking lot, fingers intertwined. “Do you want a ride home?”

“Nah, my apartment’s only a five-minute walk from here.”

“Then… want me to walk you home?”

Naruto frowned at him—cutely—and replied, “And make you walk all the way back here for your car? No need.” He smiled and lifted their interlaced hands, pressing a small kiss to Sasuke’s knuckles. “Appreciate the offer, though.”

Sasuke’s heart fluttered violently at the gesture. He really was going crazy. How could a simple, affectionate move like this make him feel so lightheaded and weak at the knees?

They stopped next to his car, and Naruto started playing with Sasuke’s fingers.

“What’s up?”

“… You should come over some time,” Naruto looked up nervously. “I mean, we should hang out again before I leave for New York.”

Right. Naruto was going on tour in less than two weeks.

He tucked a strand of hair behind Naruto’s ear, smiling. “That sounds good.”

“Yeah and um, we can like, watch a movie or something.”

Pause. _Watch a movie or something, he said_. Sasuke’s eyes grew wide with the potential implications of that sentence, mind entering dangerous territory.

He pulled the other man close by the fingers, voice steady and thankfully hiding the tremble of his pulse. “Naruto. Are you inviting me over to Netflix and chill?”

The blond whipped his head up to look at Sasuke with wide, horrified eyes. “No!” He denied firmly, “I mean, I guess so?! Just doing normal things though! W-we don’t have to do anything else.”

Sasuke took pity on the guy—whose face now resembled a tomato—and leaned in for a peck on the flushed cheek to stop him from spiralling further in his embarrassment.

“Sure. I’d like that.”

He would _really_ like that. Sasuke wanted to know more about Naruto, learn the tiny details of what posters lined the walls of his room, where he liked to burrow himself on the couch, whether he spoke to his pet toad with a soft, tender voice, how he liked his eggs in the morning—

“—Yeah?” Naruto smiled, soft and warm under the harsh lights of the streetlamp, calming Sasuke’s racing thoughts.

The corners of his lips lifted naturally. “Yeah.”

“Okay, then I’ll… I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah, see you soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kudos and comments are much appreciated!!


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